Thursday, March 07, 2024

Good news all around

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

1) That's a wrap. I went to the ophthalmologist again for a follow up exam. After conducting three different tests, he concluded that virtually nothing has changed since last September. While he can't absolutely, positively 100% rule out glaucoma, there's no compelling evidence of it, either. Instead of seeing me every six months, he has scheduled me for annual re-testing. I like this. We're not ignoring it, we're following up. But he's also confident that I'm fine.         

2) We're one of 5. As I mentioned back on March 5, an inspector came through and left with two (2!) pages of violations need to be addressed right away. Some are small, like graffiti near the utility room. Some are structural and likely very expensive. The time frame was ambitious to the point that we're already late. 

We met with our management company, who put it on a very human level for us. The inspector is new, filling in for his boss, who is on maternity leave. We are one of 5 buildings who were found to have violations on the same week, and ours isn't even the worst.

The next step is not to start work.  It's to hire a structural engineer, who will see if the inspector's assessments are correct. If they aren't, we will present our case to the inspector. If they are, we will present our plan/priorities for making repairs. 

In short, no one is going to expect any of us condo unit owners to fork over a big bag of cash all at once, and maybe not at all.

I'm going to sleep tonight feeling better about everything, and for that I'm grateful.



Three Nice Things about Myself -- Day 7

My blogging buddy, Kwizgiver, wrote a post that really resonated with me. She detailed how self-care helped her helped her prevail during a (ridiculously) tough month. Her tips were very wise and so doable! So she has inspired me to take one and integrate it into my own life.

Since I can be a pretty harsh self-critic, this is the one I chose. I hope I can do this every day during March. By then it should be a habit, right?

Three nice things about myself -- March 7:

1) I was patient. I was fiddling around with the online scheduling tool for the store and saw that after March 15, I'm not scheduled for any hours. Other people are, but not me. Although no one is scheduled for my particular shift (10 to 2), there is a crazy quilt of sales people scheduled and there will be coverage. There could be many reasons for this, but the first one that came to mind is that Store Manager CeeCee can no longer afford me. After all, I was hired in late October with the understanding that the job would be over on January 1. "Seasonal Sales Associate" is my title. Or it could have to do with spring break, the vacation of my regularly-scheduled manager Jen, or ... or ... or ... I see Colleen (whom I've yet to meet) isn't scheduled either. ANYWAY, when I noticed this, my first impulse was to text CeeCee and say, "What gives?" If she is letting me go, I'll certainly understand. I just hate having stuff like this hanging over my head, unresolved. My initial impulse is to get it all out in the open. I was going to text her and ask her to call me and then I remembered: she's taking this week off. She worked inventory at another store and she's tired. It would be enormously selfish of me to put my comfort before hers. I liked myself for realizing I can, indeed, wait until Monday, when she and I are face to face to ask, "What gives?"

I'm sorry but I don't have a 2 or 3 today.

Thursday Thirteen #351


The last 13 TV commercials I saw. I love TV. If I'm home, it's likely on. Because I spent decades in advertising, I pay attention to how networks and marketers target me and what TV commercials I see. 

So I made note of what was promoted to me on a random Thursday night.

1. JP Morgan Wealth Management. I'm already a Chase customer, and Chase is the #1 bank in Chicagoland, so it makes sense I'd see this commercial.

2. Voltaren. I'm a lady of a certain age, and I am creaking a bit more every day, so this OTC arthritis cream commercial seems appropriate.

3. Intuit QuickBooks. Financial software. I'm neither self-employed nor a small business owner, so nah.

4. Indeed. An employment website. I'm neither looking for a job nor hiring anyone, so nah.

5. Mando. You know that Lume Deodorant you see all the time? Now there's one for men. I don't care.

6. Angi. It used to be called Angie's List. If I needed a new contractor, I might use it.

7. Ro. An injectable weight management med. This commercial wouldn't interest me at all except she says "little prick," and I'm juvenile so it gets my attention.

8. Mtailor. Tailored clothes made by measurements taken from your phone. I love this idea and I think the commercial misses the point. It only shows men, while mtailor does make jeans for women, as well. Yoo-hoo! Woman here!

9. Xfinity. "Discover unmissable shows and find what you love." I owe my soul to Xfinity. They already have my internet, cable and landline phone service. So yes, I can see why people like me see this ad.

10. Pooph. An odor remover spray. I keep meaning to try this because I have two cats/two litter boxes. In the commercial he sprays Pooph directly into his mouth. It's kinda creepy, but it addresses my concern about product safety around my cats.

11. Lerner and Rowe.  "Lerner and Rowe are the lawyers for you. Call 222-2222." You see similar spots for your own local injury lawyers, don't you?

12. Mando again. I'm still not a smelly man.

13. Granite stone cookware. I'm sure these are lovely, but I have pots and pans I bought in 1980 that are good as new because ... well ... I never use them.

Do you find that the commercials and web banners you see are for products/services you would actually purchase?



Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.