Exit Interview Paperwork

*don't forget to read "The Right Thing" post first (just below this post), otherwise this wont make sense*

1. What was your opinion of: (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor)
Your salary = poor
Your hours = good
Assigned duties & workload = poor with comment: "OVERLOADED FOR MONTHS, not days or weeks"
Supervision = no rating with comment: "Under RB, supervision was excellent."
Working conditions = fair with comment: "DHQ was always understaffed in my 1.5 yrs there. For me personally it was an environment that I could only fail in."
Fellow employees = excellent (I didn't mention it on the form, but now that TB is gone things are okay and an exit interview is not the place to point out DM's and KB's flaws)

2. Did you receive adequate job training? Yes with comment: "From HG and RB"

3. Have you obtained another position? Yes

If so, does it have:
Better pay? Yes with comment: "by about $##,###/yr"
Shorter hours? Same
Better benefits? Yes with comment: "100% paid med/den/STD/LTD/401k/403b, and volunteer opportunities"

4. Will you be doing the same kind of work? Yes

5. What were the reasons that influenced you to leave your present employment?
In this order:
1) How the issues surrounding TB's resignation developed, specifically the witch-hunt for RB and the investigator/investigation.
2) Having the opportunity to volunteer with Major Sargents at the Toy 'N Joy for Cmas '06 revoked without any say in the matter despite my pleading.

6. Do you have any suggestions where you feel improvement should/could be made?
Would they be taken seriously? If so - please call me, I DO have some suggestions. *phone number*

7. Do you have any abilities or skills that you feel were not used?
All of them. (though this is a slight exaggeration, I may one-line cross that out so you can still see it but write "Yes" over it) I am moving into "Accounting Manager" position at my new job with the confidence that I can actually do accounting work and not circle payables all day and open mail.

8. Have you returned all Army property? Yes

9. Are you interested in any on-call work? Yes

10. Do you need COBRA? Maybe

11. Where should we mail your W2? *address*

12. Do you have any work injuries? No

13. Have you had any work injuries? No

Passwords: blah blah blah

Additional comments: "I loved working for the Army and I love the people with all my heart. And when I got to do the CFA accounting duties, I loved the work. However, it was too much work for too long with no reward or even recognition. I am sad to leave the Army but happy that I have left on good terms. Thank you for everything. I will miss everyone."

Crystal Ewers

The Right Thing

I totally feel like I've done the right thing with TSA in regards to my employment and resignation. I wish I could have had the opportunity to hand over a cleaner set of books but that was out of my hands. I'll elaborate:

2/26/07 around 9 am

Group of folks: Crystal - wow, what are you doing here? I thought you were taking Monday off?
CJE: Oh, I had to reschedule my thing for Wed so I'll be off on Wed.
Group: Oh. okay. *uncomfortable shuffle*
CJE: Well, I'm gonna put my stuff down and wait for Karen to tell me what to do.
Group: *all at once* Yeah I gotta...... Oh my phone is ringing....... Hey Bob - do you have that......

~time passes while KB leisurely gets in to the office~

CJE: Good morning Karen - how would you like me to spend the next two weeks?
KB: *blink blink* What are you doing he...Did you not get the letter?
CJE: *laughs* I guess not. Did it say "Eff you, don't come to work anymore?"
KB: Well I wouldn't go that far but in light of your surgery and mom being in town we just decided to go ahead and pay you in lieu of.
CJE: Right on. Now I can spend time with mom and get some stuff done.

And the conversation continued on from there. I explained things to KB and ate my breakfast and took my time getting out of there. I said goodbye to everyone, the worst was Demetri. I will REALLY miss him so much. Then I yanked HG from her work (sorry HG, I really am) but I made up for it by buying her a soy mocha. We chatted real quick about the goings on and the coming week. It was kinda sad knowing that was my last time there (other than when I come bother her to take her to lunch).

Apparently there was a letter sent to me on Friday after my and Mom's visit to TSA. I guess with my note, my 80 year old lady walk, and everything else they felt they should just pay me out and say good riddens. So they sent me an overnight Saturday delivery package with said letter and exit interview paperwork. The letter was delivered sometime after 9:30 this am. I guess UPS does not deliever to these parts on Saturday.

Time to go - Exit Interview to be posted later today. :-)

DREAD

I'm dreading going back to work. Probably mostly because I'm done with TSA and don't want to deal with the Douche and I don't know what awaits me there and I'm not quite sure what they will have me do with my two weeks: payables and grunt work or real accounting work. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I want to do. I imagine the best thing for me to do is to wrap up and journals and GL messes that I am aware of and pass on a clean set of books to the gals. If I had it my way, I would not deal with the corps operations at all the next two weeks. OR I would do nothing but deal with the corps operations while the more energetic gals worked on the hard stuff. I'll let the Douche decide what she, in all her wisdom (sarcasm), wants me to do.

I AM glad to have the time to say my goodbyes and cleanup and to get back into the swing of business after the surgery. I've been in La La Land for the past two weeks so I will need something familiar to get back on track. Then I can start TH fresh and hopefully with the energy needed to tackle the challenges that wait for me there.

I'm REALLY scared/nervous. I'm constantly second guessing myself and my capabilities. I hope I have what it takes to make it in this position. I'm determined to make it work. I just can't believe that after all this time and all I've been doing to get to this point its finally here. I'm shocked. I plan to spend the next two weeks familiarizing myself with the Financial Edge (a derivative of Blackbaud/Raiser's Edge) software so I can hit the ground running. I really need to be on my A game. I plan on going to Dress Barn and getting some nice outfits for work. I'm also going back to blond (kinda - maybe just highlights), and getting my nails done again. I want to feel pretty again. Admittedly I was spending a lot on my hair and nails but I kinda like doing those things for myself. I have a much better attitude when I feel sexy and the past year has been kinda dark for me (cite reference this blog). Apparently blonds really do have more fun. :-P At least this blond anyway.

So iPods are entirely too much fun. Dane got me a $50 gift certificate to iTunes for V-day and I've been tearing it up. I've gotten everything from Testament (Return to Serenity) to Rage Against the Machine, Kelly Clarkson, Queen, Garbage, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani - you name it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my iPod. I would wear it 24/7 if I could. I'm pissed I didn't get the iPod pillow at Bed, Bath, and BeBlond for $9.99 when I had the chance.

Having my mom in town has been fun and of course greatly needed. I will say that I am disheartened at her lack of willingness to try new things. Such as a sushi place. They even had "regular" food on the menu and we told her that but she was still stubborn not to even step foot in the place. I got pissed, Dane got pissed, Mom got pissed, it was not happy times. We finally went and Mom conceded to look at the menu (which is all I ever asked for), decided it wasn't for her, and went next door to have a good ol American beefy, cheesy Philly cheesesteak. Whatever. Dane and I like the sushi place because they have a plethora of vegan options as well as meaty options for Dane so it's one of the few places Dane and I can eat at and both be happy. In the end it all worked out but it definitely dampered the mother/daughter spirits. Mom's been spoiling the cats by giving them wet cat food (something they haven't had in almost two years) and claiming they are starving. All our cats are well over 10 lbs with auto-feeders and water. They can eat any time they want, day or night. So now the cats HOUND her - it's quite amusing.

Today we settled for Italian food - who can't find something they like at a pasta place. We also drove to Alki Point (just West of Seattle, across the Sound) to look at the views and go for a drive. Now its all I can do to stay awake. I don't want to nap cause then I wont be able to sleep tonight. So I'm staying up till 8 then crashing out so I can work tomorrow. I get to wear track suits to work cause I can't fit into my regular work clothes. Well, I might be able to by now, but it's hard with the swelling and it hurts to have buttons and zippers right on my scar.

Surgery/recovery update: my stitches come out on Wed. They gave me a cream to put on my scar to help with something, who knows. Every day Dane and I take pics of the scars so I can look at them closely (via camera) and say things like "Ehhh" and "Gross!" and "What's that?!" and "Pull the thread of gauze" or "Pop the zit!" All of which Dane ignores and continues his nurse like duties. My boobs hurt. I guess now that the swelling is going down somewhat and they are adjusting to their new size, the skin is getting stretched and complaining so it's very tender. Also, the weirdest thing, I can feel on the inside of the boob a reaction to cold or what have you, but there is no reaction on the surface! I'm told this is normal and eventually my nips will have reaction again. I guess a boob lift is like botox for nips. They are permenantly stuck in the "everything's okay" position. I'm still VERY swollen (according to the Doc and nurse) in my hip/belly area. They say I should expect a lot more shrinkage, which is AWESOME news - I thought I was done swelling but I guess it lingers for up to 3 months.

Which means shopping for a wedding gown is now more complicated. Basically I can't buy anything new till about May or June and that puts me to less than 60 days from the wedding which means any alterations will have to be rush and since Mom is in CA and can't do it for me, I will have to pay some clown in the WA area to do it AND it will cost a bazillion dollars. I'm fixin to get married in a swimsuit afterall. :-P Mom and I made some crucial decisions on the wedding, we've got a lot of stuff buttoned up and only a few details left to make. I'm starting to get really excited now that it's coming together. Though I worry only about 3 people will show up. As it gets closer and closer to the date things keep coming up and I wonder if my buddies and family will make it. My sister already dropped out. Whatever. I hope that people will come. It would devastate me if certain people were not there but at the same time I've got to move forward and enjoy the day for what it truly is: my union with the man I love. We've got some awesome stuff planned for our guests though, so those who are coming - you will NOT be disappointed. We are going the extra mile to make sure it is worth every penny.

Recovery Stage 2

Well it's almost a week and a half since the surgery and I am completely off the pain meds - can you believe that! What hurts the most these days is my back. I still have to walk like an 80 year old lady and sleep on my back so muscles that normally don't support me have been and they are angry about it. Other than that, things are fine. They took my drains out on Tuesday. If I could liken that to anything it would probably be what it would feel like (on a mild scale) to be disemboweled. Figure after about a week some of my inside body tissue had started forming to the tubes thinking it was a new part of my body. Well, when those tubes were yanked from my insides (Dane says they were a good 10 inches up in my abdominal) the tissues that started binding the tubes to my innards where severed. You can imagine how that felt. I let out a few cuss words but after a few minutes everything calmed down and I was okay again. But I'll be a happy camper if I never have to experience anything like that again.

After my doc appointment on Tuesday, Dane left for work in Olympia and Nick came over to care for me and switch cars. My mom was due in town that evening and can't drive clutch so Nick offered us his automatic Mustang. Well no sooner did he get here did he go into some sort of shock and I had to care for him till his dad got here and take him to the ER. Turns out he now has tonsilitis (he just recovered from menengitis) and a possible blood clot in his lungs. So that sucked because I was supposed to stay relatively inactive and ended up caring for poor Nick. Who is doing okay but still in the hospital. Dane had to come home to care for me but by the time he got home in traffic, it was time for him to pick up my mom. Once my mom was in town we stayed up till 1 talking about anything and everything. It is really great to have her here to help and care for me the way that only moms can do.

Yesterday we actually went to the mall and grocery store which was way more activity than I should have done and I was exhausted. Then HG picked me up for a team meeting. That was cool to be back in the land of the living and coherent. Today I've been off the pain meds and doing my homework, emails, and Mom and I made some crucial wedding detail decisions. We are going to look at wedding dresses tomorrow. I can't try any on cause my body is still changing and morphing but we can figure out what I like and if it's possible for my mom to remotely tailor my gown because I will definitely be a unique size after all this surgery.

In other news I got a call this am from my CEO at Treehouse (TH) and I guess my boss, the Director of Admin Barbara, has resigned! So her last day will be in March and she will work with me to transition and make everything as smooth as possible, but that came as a shock to me. I was really looking forward to working with her. But Janis, my CEO, made it clear they were very excited for me to start and ensured me I would have every resource made available to help me excel in every way. We even discussed the accounting software training. I elected to have the consult come help me after I've gotten my feet wet a bit so I know what questions to ask rather than have him train me from the get go - I'm a smart gal, I can stumble my way through a lot without too much assistance. I asked if I could bring my mom by the office and she said that would be wonderful and overall I'm just so happy to be starting there soon -what a great opportunity. AND I guess I will be a part of the hiring process for the new Director of Admin - I'm gonna hire my new boss! How crazy is that! I HAVE A VOICE AGAIN!!!!!

I got a call from a coworker today that unfortunately I couldn't help out too much (at TSA). She says she misses me already and is really overwhelmed with all the work. I guess another employee took the week off (God knows how she got that approved, it wasn't planned though so I hope everything is okay). So now there are two gals keeping the 30+ corps at DHQ moving along. Wow. I feel bad for them. I'm still sad to be leaving. But I'm so happy it's on good terms.

So I'm not supposed to make any judgements till at least four weeks (and I wont post any pics till I'm healed - they're pretty nasty right now) but I can say this. WOW!!!! I'm absolutely stunned at the results. The night I went to surgery my measurements were 41/37/48 and I weighed in at 170 (amazing because last I checked I was 180 so all this vegan dieting and exercising must be doing something). Today, with my garments on and gauze underneath and still a moderate amount of swelling that will take a few weeks to subside, my measurements were 42/34/44. The Doc took 3 inches off my waist and 4 inches off my hips! And I'm still pretty swollen. The Doc and everyone expect me to calm down to about 40 inches at the hips over the next few weeks. As I continue to diet and exercise, I should drop at least another 1 - 2 inches (if not more) between April and the wedding. Amazing. Now bra size is a little different. I was a 38C before surgery but I wasn't a "full" C cup. I tried putting on my bra last night (over my garments so as not to harm my still healing bossom) and there is no way that bra will fit. First of all it's too big around, so I probably will drop to a 36 or 34. And the C cup is too small, so I will have to upgrade to a D cup. The thought of being a 34D has me grinning from ear to ear. Call it selfish, call it foolish, call it materialistic, call it vain, call it whatever you want - you're right! But I'm still happy. :-)

When I lay down now, the boobs stay in place. I have no belly - it's flat. No rolls, no creases, no flabby skin - nothing. I've never layed down and been able to see my hips and all my parts - it looks and feels so good! And (for as grafic as this may be) I have a vagina again! Now that my belly is gone and the skin is pulled tight - I have "normal" junk. And let me tell you how good THAT is!! It just looks and feels so much better. I'm not even all healed and I still have WEEKS to go and I'm already this pleased. I think that I made a good decision and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Yeah, sure - it's going to cost a lot of money and it was a bit extreme, but what a difference.

Dane can't wait for me to get better. He's anxious (as am I) to try everything out. He's been afraid to touch me because he doesn't want to hurt me so last night he took his first poke at my boobie. He was immediately enthralled. They don't really look or feel unnatural, just full. That's the best way to describe it.

I also discovered that my PAP came back abnormal and I need a colposcopy (again). LAME. So I have to work out getting that done but the challenges are: I'm still healing from surgery, I have transitioning insurance, and a new job to consider. Dane and I are trying to design things so that we wont have to go months and months without any loving but things are difficult. In light of these discoveries and with my IUD expiration we've decided that Mr. Man is going to get a vasectomy. He doesn't want to talk about it. :-) That's what he says but he knows, logically, that it's the best thing we can do. He just doesn't want to think about knifes being down there. I told him it'd be okay and to hand me more gauze for my oozing stitches and scars. :-)

That's all for now, more as the weekend develops with stories of mom, the wedding dress, the doctor appointments, and so on!

Recovery

So today has been the first day that I've felt competent enough to get my thoughts onto the computer. It's also the first day that I've felt comfortable enough to do so.

I actually got a good night's rest on Sunday figuring it would be the last time I would sleep soundly in a long time. Woke up Monday morning on time, showered, and got dressed. We were only 5 minutes late to Dr. Egrari's office which wasn't so bad. We spent a few minutes in the pre-op room going over my anesthesia, the procedure itself, and recovery. Then the doc marked me up for operating - I looked like a blank paint by numbers palate. Then Dane and I got to spend a few minutes alone before surgery. They gave me a warm blanket to wrap up in, which was nice. When it was time to go to the op room they let me give Dane one last kiss and then led me in to the room. The op bed was warmed over with comfy sheets. I crawled right in and was immediately at ease. They put some funky stuff in my IV and I started feeling silly. They asked me how I felt and I said happy and then looked at the operating lights and listened to the soft music in the background and felt like I was on Nip/Tuck. Minutes later I awoke to applesauce and pills being fed to me. I was in a lot of pain and dazed. I asked for Dane and wasn't sure what happened and why I didn't get the surgery done. The nurses assured me the surgery was done and went well and I was coming out of my daze. I spent the next hour or so in and out lying on the table telling myself that with each minute my pain was less and less. Finally it was time for me to leave and they made me walk to the car which was very painful. Lucky for me HG let me borrow her truck as my car was too low and Dane's truck was too high, but her truck was just right. It hurt to move and go home and I wondered whose idea this was and how I could possibly bear 2 weeks of this.

Once home Dane fed me more pain killers and I went to sleep. I really don't remember much of the first few days except a lot of sleeping, tv, and feeling shitty. My garment got off-kilter so when HG took care of me yesterday we made an impromptu appointment for me to go in and get it fixed since I kept peeing on myself (gross). And Dane accidently grabbed a bag of frozen mushrooms instead of peas to put on my chest and when they thawed out they smelt HORRIBLE!! So bad I almost vomited - not good after abdomnioplasty (sp?). So HG took me to my appointment and they changed my banadages and gave me a bigger garment since the one I had before was too small and I was VERY swollen. I guess because I'm a vegan and can't get as much protein it makes me more suseptible to swollen. I was so disstended you could see that I hadn't had a bowel movement. After that they washed my hair and cleaned me up nice and pretty. I guess Dr. Egrari's office is one of the few, if only, plastic surgeon office that does things like that for their patients which I think is genius. So on the way home HG got me some veggie protein supplement and milk of magnesia. I spent all last night on the toilet refusing to eat or drink till I got rid of the crap in my body. It was a long battle and by the time it was over I just wanted to sleep. Seriously, in all this hack and slash of my body - the worst pain has been the constipation and then the bowel movement.

Today was the first day I've really felt alive enough to complete some thoughts. I've slept a lot today, got my posting done, read through email, and even did this blog. Though I can tell I'm beat. We've transitioned me to my medium weight drugs with 5 hour spreads instead of 4. I still live in my hospital gown and robe. I still have drains attached to my belly, those will probably come out on Tuesday - I'm scared for them to pull those out - that will be hell. Boo has been absolutely adorable!! She will not leave my side. She has slept on my legs since Monday and when Dane tries to take her off so I can get up, she forcibly jumps back into position. She follows me to the bathroom and makes sure I'm okay at all times. Dane has been doing an amazing job too. Our relationship has definitely been taken to the next level. I've asked him to do things I never would have dreamed and he has lovingly obliged. The poor guy - and he's been able to take most of this week to work from home so he can care for me - I'm so lucky. He has apologized several times for acting out before the surgery and been nothing but caring and loving. He even gets up from WOW when I ask him to no matter who he's battling. :-)

My mom is flying in town on Tuesday evening. Dane needs to get back to work and I fear I will still need care at home so we are flying her out here. It will be nice to have her here and I"m sure Dane will love the reprieve.

All in all things are going very well. Every day I get more and more mobile. Every day I hurt less and less. I really have to thank God, my family, and friends for all the wonderful support and blessings I've been given throughout all of this. I'm a lucky gal.

I do have a scar that runs from hip to hip, like all the way across - not just in the middle. But it's low. I also have a flat belly. I've NEVER had a flat belly. And right now my boobs are HUGE!!! Most of it is swelling, but man are they biggens. And they sit straight up in the air. As HG and Dane said - "they are definitely not your old boobs." I'm sure they look all Frankenstein like but that will fade with time.

For now I have a paper to write tomorrow. A team paper to write on Sunday or so and another individual assignment due next week. Those are my biggest challenges. Next I have some work to accomplish for TSA and I want to play around with TH's books and Blackbaud before I go to work there. A lot of stuff going on. My next doc appointment is on Tuesday and then again on Monday the 26th. Wish me luck!

I will post pics soon!

Surgery Fears

I'm nervous, anxious, scared, and a teensy bit excited about the surgery tomorrow. My fears are showing in odd ways too. As long as I keep busy, I'm okay but the second I stop or lay down for the evening, my brain runs rampant with crazy thoughts and everything I have to do and all the stress of work, learning a new job, my MBA, people in class, my friends, my family, the pain - everything. With all the maddness in my head it's hard to be affectionate or passionate with Dane. He's very upset about this and told me as much last night for about two hours. That only added to the stress that I feel and really made me feel like a piece of shit for everything.

Basically he thinks I owe him for what I'm calling on him to do. I thought that family and friends were there to take care of you in your time of need. I know that if he or any one of buddies or family members needed me to help them, I would be there in a heartbeat. So now I'm reconsidering all that I've asked of Dane and my other friends. I feel like I owe it to them to take back all the requests I've made. I guess this is something I really need to do myself. It was my choice to have this surgery and I shouldn't make it anyone else's concern.

Sometimes things are just more hassle than their worth.

The Breakup

I broke up with TSA today. It is with mixed emotion that I resigned and even write this blog. I love the Army, I love what I do, I love most of the people, I would have loved to stay. I just couldn't do it anymore. I wish they would have listened to me sooner. I wish they wouldn't have treated RBMBA the way they did. I wish for a lot. It's sad because the Swede asked several times if I would reconsider but I told him we were beyond that (though I didn't say it in those words).

Surprisingly (or maybe not) they accepted my resignation and will allow me to take my sick time and come back to button up my books. It's not good timing and we are all sad but what's done is done. I'm very grateful they are letting me leave on good terms and say goodbye to my friends at the office. We've all had enough drama the past two months, no one needs any more. I can tell a huge weight has been lifted and there is no more pressure or tension.

I feel very much inside like I just broke up with someone. I feel like it has been a long time coming and we all knew it was going to happen. Now that it has actually happened though, we are all a little shaken. Even me. I think it will take some time to "grieve" if you will. Perhaps closure is a better word. I'm sure in no time I'll be back to being excited about Treehouse, which I am.

It felt good to be honest with TSA. I started to feel kinda crummy about knowing I was leaving but not giving them a heads up while I was recooping. This way I got to give them notice, have a clear conscious/conscience (I never remember which spelling it is), start TH on time, and leave TSA on excellent terms.

For now I've downloaded Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway, Psyche's Goodbye Horses (think Silence of the lambs and lipstick - I'll post a likeness pic), and Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape for sulking purposes.

Here's my best he-bitch impression (even Silent Bob from Clerks II is in the background):

"Ooooh"

Happy Birthday to ME!!

This year was infinitely better than last year's birthday (trip to Hawaii not included). For starters, I got offered a position at Treehouse for quite a bit more money than I currently make plus a bonus if I stay over a year. I'm so excited to start this new job!! It will be so nice to have reasonable working conditions and deadlines. And it will be nice not working for a douche (KB not RBMBA). I get to be a douche to someone else now. :-) Actually I hope I will be a good manager, I'm very much in touch with what it's like to be on the receiving side. I got my wedding time off approved, paid or unpaid - it's my choice. Benefits are 100% paid for and start the 1st day of the month after my start date. I don't get as much PTO or tuition reimbursement though, but the cash in my pocket is worth it. If all goes well with surgery and my TSA resignation, I will start TH on March 12th or thereabouts. I'm really, really excited. And it's apart of my "work schedule" to tutor the kids as part of the in-house tutor program!! Imagine that, encouragement to volunteer for the company I work for, not taking that priviledge away from me!!!

Today was spent reflecting leaving TSA. I will be sad to leave a lot of people/corps. And then there are some people that I wont be sad to leave. As an extra stinger, the Swede and the Douche were almost civil and pleasant to me today.

HG and I split a vegan cake for my b-day then went to the spa after work. It was a nice decompressor and gave us time to chat about my leaving and resignation. I hope she doesn't get into any mess for "knowing and not telling". Though she will tell them that I didn't tell her if they press the issue.

I came home to Dane cooking our dinner, what a nice guy! He got me a few b-day gifts (everything I wanted). And he purchased the same congratulatory card he got me for graduating college. Silly man! I love him.

Oh! FOY called me back. They offered me the position. I felt so bad that I had to decline, but she took it well and even genuinely congratulated me. She told me to keep them in mind "cause you never know what happens" and I really will. I do think Treehouse is the better option. Here's the link if you care to check out the website: http://www.treehouseforkids.org/index.htm

I will post more about turning 27 vs. 26 but I'm talking to my dad now, so I gotta go. :-)

The Offer

Hi Crystal,

Deborah shares our impression and also thinks you would be a great addition to the team. So, we would be thrilled to offer you this position. I would like to set up a time to meet with you on Monday to talk about the details. Do you have any time on Monday for a meeting?

My cell phone is BLAH. I am not available this evening but will be able to take a call on Saturday if you would like to set up a meeting time.

I look forward to speaking with you.

With respect,


Barbara Blah
Director of Admin
Treehouse

So after my 3:00 interview I picked up HG at DHQ and we went to the Japanese dollar store. I got a pan, stir-fry pan, oblong pan, colander, and a myriad of other items that I didn't need for about $15 total. It was awesome. I also got my cornicopia of drugs for my surgery. After that I dropped HG off and met Dane at Bamboo Garden for dinner. While I was waiting I picked up some material on veganism and animal rights and by the time Dane got there I was in tears with the torture of animals. We ordered our food (Bamboo Garden is a 100% vegan restaurant) and talked about our days and I was so happy that Dane was willing to at least try it out. But it still hurt me about the pictures and tutorials I read about the animals. When we got home we went upstairs and layed out all the information I had on both Treehouse and Friends of Youth (who has not gotten back with me but I know that they are still checking my references) and discovered the differences btwx the two companies. It boils down to TH being more education and advocacy based and FOY being more care/treatment/prevention based. So the decision lied in what I want to do, social work or legislative. As anyone who knows me will answer, I'm more interested in law and legislation. That and the general environments and culture of the companies, I've leaned more towards TH.

After discussing work I started getting upstet about animal cruelty and talking to Dane about the perils of eating meat and for extra emphasis I decided to bring up Peta's new investigation on PetSmart and the hampster/gerbil abuse. After reviewing the pictures and video with him I decided to check my email. Low and behold there was the email above. I'm shocked beyond words. Dane is so happy and proud. My parents are proud. RBMBA is proud. HG is happy. It has yet to hit me yet because now I have a serious responsibilty to perform. I have to call the Director tomorrow to schedule a meeting for Monday (my b-day). I think I will accept this job over the FOY job (should I even be offered that job). I will work out the details on Monday, but I don't think I will hand in my resignation till I get back from sick leave at the end of February.

I'm sad to leave the Army. I really am. I don't want to leave HG. I don't want to leave my units. But I can't work for LD and the Swede. I would have gone to the ends of the Earth for RBMBA. But no one else. ESPECIALLY LD!!! And THE SWEDE!!!!! Never. They don't deserve me. I refuse to make them look good. Dicks. NOPE. I'm leaving. Good riddens you fools. Treat RBMBA like that after TEN F*CKING YEARS?!?!?!!?? See ya. Good night. Bye. I still feel bad for my units that have nothing to do with this. :-( But TSA had a choice. They could have kept me. Dicks.

What should my resignation say?