One Thing Turned into Another

It all started with my elbow. You see, back in April, going on my 6th or 7th week with the new job, the customers finally started coming in like crazy. Things picked up suddenly. I found that the regular processing of a customer's purchase involved a LOT of repetitive motion. 

1. First get the pad with the hand-written order from the customer
2. Tear off the page and hand the pad back so they can place it on the table
3. Look up customer's company on computer program and begin typing in items
4. Once complete, print 2 copies of the invoice
5. On the credit card machine type in purchase amount
6. Grab the 5lb ROLODEX (yes an old fashion rolodex) to look up the company's CC
7. Type in the CC number
8. Grab clipboard to retrieve the last four digits
9. Back to the rolodex, finish typing in exp date, CVV code and zip code. press enter
10. Retrieve the 2 copies from the copier
11. Tear off the merchant receipt from CC machine and staple it to the top copy
12. Tear off the customer receipt and staple it to the second copy
13. Hand a clipboard with the top copy to the customer along with a pen for their signature 
14. Give them the second copy
15. Place the signed copy in the basket for the bookkeeper 
16. REPEAT

Doing these 15 steps 60-70 times a day for a straight 5 days without much of a break might help one imagine how I wound up with tennis elbow. And wouldn't you know, the office door handle was "catching" so I could barely turn enough it enough open the door. It became very painful, not to mention trigger thumb on the opposite hand.

I suffered with tendonitis pain and basic over-all irritation (neck pain, arm pain, tired of sitting all day long, missing the summer weather) for two months straight. My co-worker got me an electric stapler in efforts to alleviate some of the elbow problems. I rearranged the rolodex situation (I'll tell you more about the excessive strain on my eyes another time). I was wearing a compression sleeve everyday and night, until I saw a doctor who gave me some stretches and exercises to begin doing for the long, recovery.

Finally, however, I could no longer take the sticky door handle. The struggle was real. That's when my co-worker remembered that there was an extra door handle somewhere in one of the cabinets. WHAT???!!! We set out to find it and changed it out immediately. With that major accomplishment complete in less than 20 minutes, we wondered what else we could fix.

THE TOWEL DISPENSER!!!!

Back in June, The Boss had removed the outside towel dispenser when he installed a second window, and never put it back on the wall. So we set out to put it back up, however we were missing screws or something so decided to get back to it later. We found out the Boss wanted to paint before putting it back up. (He used scraps of plywood when putting in the window and never got around to painting it). I said, "Hey, I'll paint it. Get me the stuff and I'll get 'er done." Cuz I was B-O-R-E-D!!!

And suddenly One thing turned into another... and another and another... we are still seeing the sweater unravel even several weeks later.

Office Antics Part 1

Office Antics Part 2

Before we could paint, we were given a sprayer and mold armor to spray down the building. It just about turned my hair white with the back spray. And when spraying with the hose, the water started leaking inside the shack, getting the electronics a little bit wet. 😱. So apparently caulking would also be added to the list, as well as squeegee-ing the windows.

Office Antics Part 3

Office Antics Part 4

Office Antics Part 5

And then all our plans for the day were dashed.

Office Antics Part 6

It's weeks later and the job is still unfinished, although what we initially set out to do has been done. LOL

The New Job

Before I got this new job my former job was music directing musical theater and I loved it. Of course, all things "theater" came to a screeching halt in March 2020. So I sat at home, trying to keep myself occupied. I played music quite a bit. I painted. I danced with my dog outside using a ball or a frisbee to train him to spin and come forward and backup. I made videos. I read the Bible and gardened, and cleaned out the attic, and scrubbed the kitchen cabinets, and tackled the office. I dejunked and decluttered. I spoke my truth on social media, and participated in zoom calls. But most of the time, I sat.... And I sat... And I waited... and sat some more. I mean, I walked the dogs about 8 times a day, but there was also a lot of sitting. I was bored.

Almost a year later, a job opportunity arose and I just couldn't sit any longer, so I called up for an interview and they hired me. It's an office job. It's pretty much a LOT of sitting and its also a bit boring. But I'm getting paid!!! I have a co-worker who has quickly gotten into my heart. He and I along with the owner are all crammed into a shack, each at our own station with a computer, tall office chair, a stapler, credit card machine, tape, scissors, a copy machine and a phone. 

There's an office barn cat. FLUFFY! The owner is "her person."

She's fifteen and to be honest, Her Person has a very odd and quirky relationship with her. He's constantly informing us of what Fluffy says and what she wants, and how she needs to be held and petted (although she only likes him). Everyone in the office addresses their comments and sighs directly to Fluffy... "oh Fluffy." She's commonly used for personal distressing. 

Fluffy has a basket on a shelf by the window. It's fully equipped with her person's neck warmer--for the scent-- as well as a dish towel that probably hasn't been washed for two years and a heating pad for extra warmth (mainly because Her Person keeps the office a frikkin 65 degrees!!). Her meow-er is broken. It sounds more like a croaking frog or a 100 year old lady or something. When she tries to use it we just see her mouth move, but nothing comes out. When sound does come out, I can tell you, she's definitely screaming profanities at the world. 

Her Person sounds like a broken record every morning, "Fluffy, go to Karen, she neeeeds you to help her find something to do!" He then proceeds to explain to me for the hundredth time the proper way to hold her (so that she can't get away) and to force her to receive all the incessant petting. "She likes it behind the ears,"' he's demonstrating, "and really dig your nails in, because she loves that!"

"That's OK." I respond with a smirk. "She seems perfectly content with you." I swear, he says this solely because he feels a sense of satisfaction that Fluffy only really wants him and no one else.  I told him I was completely fine with that. I have two dogs at home who adore me.

He also tends to do a LOT of teasing and poking and lifting her up to the ceiling, all for the fun watching her panic, and she just comes right back to him, demanding to be scratched and rubbed some more and fed treats. And before long she's screaming her demand to be let down to the floor, and out the door she goes to sleep a sunny spot. Her Person, throughout the day, snatches her from her sleeping spot and brings her back in to keep him company. I don't think she appreciates is all that much. 

Oh Fluffy... I really don't care whether you like me or not, cuz I know that when no one else is in the office, you let me hold you and you purr quite loudly. And I understand the difference of when you're screaming to be fed or when you actually just want to go outside to sleep, NOT to be poked or disturbed every 5 minutes. I gotchu, cat. I gotchu.