Here we go again.

This is the last week with Civitas LLC. I will miss working with awesome page designers and a great mentor/supervisor. But I'm just simply not ready to move to Ohio for peanuts. I will still give my 200% as I would with any position I'm in til the end.

My only concern is the severance package, will it help me until I find a new job? Well. The test is about to happen Aug. 5. Will update this blog as I go and add to "Life Unemployed 2.0" til my next adventure.

Since my previous experience I have learned not to fret about it, because I'm a survivor and I know I can get through this. Because I know this: Fret and worry, leads to stress and self-doubt. I can't have that, I need to remain calm, positive and focused to reach a new level in my life whether its working for another company or flipping burgers at the local burger king. See you soon!

As if dealing with one loss isn't enough .... a pink slip lands on my desk.

Well it's official. I have two weeks before my position is eliminated. Luckily I've been applying for jobs like its the end of the world. Swallowing my pride to apply for basic jobs that require no special talent. Although I still want to stay in the entertainment or publishing industry.

Maybe I should have accepted the invitation to move but I know I couldn't survive up there on the pay I'm receiving now and the fact that the company I work for is not a gracious company that gives raises that easily. And I would really be screwed if there idea of a pay raise is 25 cents more than what I'm already getting. That would be a short-lived move. Even though I would miss hanging out with my friend Mobie and creating new havoc in a new area, I know Ohio is not the place for me.

Will keep you posted as things progress, maybe I'll have a new job by the next post, maybe I'll be married (finally) ... or maybe I'll be flipping burgers here. Who knows. Til later then. This doesn't mean goodbye, and I'm certainly not sad about it because I knew this was going to happen. Til I find a new path I may be offline for a bit.

When your at a loss for everything ...

I finally got a vacation week .... well technically 4 days... (insert grumbling here) I made plans to go to Myrtle Beach ... well that didn't happen because of the rain and because of a phone text message on my phone.

It was my cousin (Just going to call him Cousin E. Don't want to post his name for privacy sake) he wanted to know if I was available for a phone call. Well of course. If its family I'm always available unless I'm indisposed, driving with a wonky headset that just won't seem to stay connected or somewhere loud. But always courteous to text back that I'm going somewhere quiet to answer the call. Even if its my crazy dad and his crazy theories about the latest Obama plot to turn off all the cell phone lines ... ... ... or some other craziness he found on the web. Love him to death but sometimes ... even though he's not wearing it. The tinfoil hat is showing. Enough. Back to the blog.

So I waited for his call. Cousin E starts off telling me that he wanted me to know everything before I read my facebook page .... okay. Long story short. My cousin (we will call him T for the same reason I'm not posting E's real name.) Cousin T had passed away.

WHAT? PASSED AWAY! He's like only 31!!!!! WTF?!?!?

Although the phone conversation went much smoother than that, but in my head I had a billion and one questions as to how this happened. Questions like, did his asthma get real bad? Was he hit by a car and lost the battle at the hospital? Who do I hurt when I get up there? WHAT? I'm at a loss for words.... but I know I must sound cold on the other end of the phone as I sat processing a billion scenarios as to what could have possibly gone wrong. Because we just talked on the phone a few weeks ago about him bringing his family down for a visit so we could meet the newest member.

*Insert one curse word here like a raging comic book lunatic. .... WHYYYYYYYYYY????????*

He didn't know, he was still trying to process what happened as well but will let me know once he goes to the hospital and find out what happened.

Once cousin E hung up to go meet with the rest of the family and figure out what to do next. So the only thing I could think of was to tell my mother who was looking forward to meeting the little ones. I know she was shocked. She was already tired and exhausted playing nurse for one of her cats who injured himself and just came back from the vet. (Whom on a side note now hates me. But that's another blog later.)

Would tell my father but he's away at a "meeting" with his fellow tin foil hat comrades. So the next few hours have been spent waiting on more information, feeding cats, wondering if the others are okay and swirling leftover spaghetti across a plate in an attempt to eat a normal dinner. Which is kind of hard to do when you're just not interested in eating.

Finally a message from Cousin E came through. Rare seizure ..... Not going to print any further details about it. But its still kind of a shock. That makes two friends I've lost this year. My friend Donna who died of cancer and now Cousin T. I will miss them both with all my heart.

No such thing as funny tasting in my mother's house

I keep telling my friends that eating at my mother's house is strange. That's why I don't often invite people over for dinner. Because you will never know what she will make, and if its even remotely edible. But there are some things only she can make that look like it crawled off the Aliens movie set but tastes incredibly delicious.

She tries her best to make spaghetti, a steak dinner or even something as simple as mac and cheese. But there is no so such thing as simple when she's in the kitchen. In fact, when you think of my mom in the kitchen, just remember that scene from the movie Better Off Dead with John Cusack. When the recipe his mother wanted to make but it got wet. Yeah. The thing with raisins in it. That pretty much sums up my mom's cooking.

"Can I be excused? I'm not feeling well ... "

Love her to death, even tried to show her how to make a variety of dishes .... which .... she tried ... but somehow somewhere in the process.... something happened. The most memorable was when my brother's showed up for Thanksgiving and there wasn't enough stuffing. I baked some cornbread to fluff out the stuffing mix with, but somehow the McDonald's side salad I purchased for lunch that day ended up with a block of tofu in the mix instead. With sweet and sour sauce mixed in.

No complaints here, didn't want to ruin her evening with complaints. It was weird but it didn't taste that bad either. But not something I would eat again.

What was the funniest thing your mom ever made?