Server upgrade . . schmerver upgrade! Along with growth comes expansion - - and it’s a good thing! All week long, Chris and I have been preparing for our big upgrade and I can’t wait until it’s over and everything purring right along. The new server just screams power! OOooh yea!

I tucked my 13 year old into bed tonight. Haven’t done that in a long time - - I just happened to go upstairs and head down the hallway into her room to whine at her that she doesn’t come down to give me a kiss goodnight these days. She tells me that she’s too tired ever since school started — she just flops into bed and crashes. She was curled up in bed with just a sheet . . I looked over to see the rest of her bedding in a ball on the couch in her room — so I grabbed it all and snuggled her in warm. It was nice.

My mom had surgery yesterday. Nothing serious - - she had her gallbladder removed after a particularly rough episode of stones. Blech! So.. lets see . . two years a go, my sister had an attack followed by the same surgery. A year ago . . my brother had an attack followed by the same surgery. This year, it was my mother. Does that mean next year . . . . ?

Cholecystectomy. That’s the official and proper name of the surgery. Either way, I don’t wanna.

I did my friend Deb’s resume for her this week. She’s not unemployed yet - - but she’s worried because she sees the writing on the wall. After a bout of ovarian cancer, intensive surgery and treatment — her employer has decided to start harassing her about little picky bits about her job. As Deb tells it, this company has a notorious history of getting rid of people who have high cost medical bills. I used to work for the same company - - only problem I had was a little issue of sexual harassment from the CEO. But I have seen them, time and time again, find reasons to terminate good, long standing employees after serious illness. It can’t be right - - but the way they go about it, they never seem to get caught. Although, I don’t know anyone who has ever brought them to task on it either.

A word about self-employment with a home office — make sure you get out of the house. It’s too easy not too. After some long days working, Chris and I went out yesterday . . . went shopping, had dinner and enjoyed some ‘us’ time . . and it was really nice. Truly amazing what it does for my disposition. Last month my goal was to begin setting limits for myself . . I’ve done pretty good on that so far. This month my goal is to remember to take care of me . . and of Chris .. and make sure we get ‘us’ time away from it all. We’re both work-a-holics . . so it may not be as easy as it sounds.

Last word for the night - - I am SO ready for the elections it’s not even funny. This election season has been excruciatingly long! OK - - nite nite!

Today is the first ‘official’ day of my new position at work. The last two days have been kind of weird - - in a school yard kind of way. About two weeks ago, my boss posted this position - looking to recruit internally. I had, at the time, no idea who else applied for it. I didn’t make a big production about applying for it. I just dropped in her office one afternoon and said “Hey, about that position - I’m interested.”

That was it.

Two weeks later, she offered — we negotiated, then I accepted.

It was announced at our meeting Tuesday afternoon - and, from what I understand, all hell broke loose. Lots of hurt feelings, resentment and complaints. Tina, my boss, said it was a difficult choice - - in our office, we have quite a handful of very qualified, competent Registered Nurses. In the end, she said - - she went with experience.

I guess my 10 years as Director of Nursing in the hospital environments paid off, after all.

Now I’m in the uncomfy position of making the transition from peer and collegue, to being one of ‘them’.

Ya know - - ‘them’. *shudder* I can deal, though. For a decade, in the hospitals - I was queen of ‘them’. I understand the mentality - - I’ve seen it from both sides. It’s just going to take a period of adjustment for everyone, I guess.

Wish me luck today - - hope I don’t trip and fall in the hallway, or anything. I’m prone to that kind of stuff!