Tuesday, September 2, 2008

First Day of School

The Tuesday after Labor Day.

This has always been a favorite day for me.

It was always the first day of school.

A new beginning.

An opportunity at starting over and taking chances.

Enjoy the day!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - May 1, 2008







Thirteen Things about Pammy




Since this is my first Thursday Thirteen ... and I have no idea how to do this ... I'm just going to wing it ... so please bear with me 8)


MY 13 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

#1 - SHANGRI-LA - We love this local Chinese restaurant. We have been loyal customers since 1982. We have celebrated many special occasions there ... ie. birthdays, 1st communions, anniversaries, graduations.

#2 - OUTBACK - Love their grilled salmon and their creamy onion soup.

#3 - VICTOR'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT - Local Italian restaurant where we meet our friends Mary and Danny most Friday nights for drinks and dinner.

#4 - LAMOTT'S - Their crab cakes are fantastic. Customers travel hours to enjoy these HUGE all lump crab cakes.

#5 - SAM & TONY'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT - Great food. Jimmy took me to dinner there last week.

#6 - McCleary's Pub - Great Irish Pub in Marietta PA. They have a new outdoor bar and deck that is great for hanging out with friends.

#7 - Smokey Joe's - Wonderful pulled pork sandwitches. Awesome BBQ.

#8 - Vesta's Pizza & Italian Restaurant - Best pizza in Boonsboro MD.

#9 - TGIFriday - OMG - their fried green beans - to die for!

#10 - York Buffet - New restaurant located in the new York County Shopping Center (Best Buy). Main focus on Chinese, but the have a gazillion other items on their buffet. YUM!

#11 - Maggiano's Italian Restaurant - Fantastic food served family style. Their Peach Belinis are THE BEST!

#12 - Blue Moon Cafe - Expensive - but worth it. They have a new outside area that we'll be trying next weekend.

#13 - Culhane's Steakhouse - Best steak in PA. Their petite fillet is yum yum yum.


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


Monday, April 21, 2008

When You Get Laid-Off - Go Shopping

Good Morning Everyone!!!

*** WARNING - THIS IS A VERY LONG STORY - PROCEED WITH CAUTION AND A BIG CUP OF COFFEE, TEA, SODA OR WATER!!! POTTY BREAKS MAY BE NEEDED ***

I have been MIA since January, only stopping in and making the effort to perform drive-by posting when I've had the chance to sign on. I have 939 emails waiting for me in my in box - and they're all JDRobb - as I've weeded out the spam and specific personal emails.

So what has been going on in the life of Pammy

In the category - Life Sucks and then you go Shopping ...

I have found myself unemployed. My 3-month paralegal position was axed on Thursday when my boss, the lawyer, decided to replace me with his girlfriend's best friend who just graduated from paralegal school.

Also, it didn't help that his ex-wife (who was my direct supervisor and worked whenever she wanted to - usually for approx. 4 hours a day 10 am to 2 pm) did not like me and never wanted him to hire me. Nothing like feeling the love!

The drama that surrounded this office was so exhausting, I literally worked 9-10 hours a day and then came home and collapsed on the couch, unable to summon the energy to watch TV, read or sign on to read my email.

Jan 14th was my first day at work. I arrived at 8:00 am, as instructed the previous Friday when I was hired. I sat in front of the building for 45 minutes waiting for SOMEONE to show up. This should have been my first clue - with a flashing neon sign - warning me to turn around and go home and look for employment elsewhere.

But no ... I was determined to assist this motley crew of 2 lawyers and 4 staff members by whipping the office into shape and helping with anything I could. I was paid a straight $15/hour with no benefits. NO BENEFITS - no vacation pay, sick pay, insurance, 401 K retirement, etc. This should have been my second clue.

The office is located in downtown York in a beautiful brownstone. Well, it could be beautiful if anyone - besides me - cared to clean the office, organize the filing system and put things away - if there was somewhere to put them. OMG - the dirt, dust bunnies and "crap" laying everywhere was absolutely horrific. Trust me - I'm not a neat freak - but this place was unbelievable. Client files were and still are - lying all around the office. You could NEVER find a file when you needed it. Talk about frustration!!! And they always made me feel like it was my specific fault that nothing could be found in a timely fashion. Believe me, this was an hourly event before I started working there and I can guarantee that this issue will never be resolved and will continue into the next decade.

In addition to Nickey (the ex-wife who has the sickest relationship with my boss), the other workers were right out of central casting for a psycho movie.

The receptionist (Betty) - when she came to work - spent more time talking on the phone with her numerous family members and resolving their hourly dramas. She had no office experience and her un-professionalism shown through like a beacon. OMG. No lie, she sounded exactly like Marge Simpson's smoking sisters (from the cartoon show THE SIMPSONS) when she answered the phone "Law Office". :::shudder::: I have never heard "ain't" or "youse" used so many times in the course on your typical day - in a "supposedly" professional environment, and the "F" word was used as an adjective, adverb, verb, preposition, pronoun, modifier, conjunction and noun.

I think I could have helped Betty learn office protocol, but she never had the desire to improve. She is bi-polar, schizophrenic and non-compliant with her meds and chooses to self-medicate herself with alcohol and coke (cocaine). I have worked with many people with mental health issues - HECK - I have them myself and my family has the market cornered on self-destructive personalities, but I have never come across someone like Betty. Her personality would change minute-to-minute, with either Elizabeth or George making a daily appearance just to make things fun at the office. (Elizabeth and George are her alter personalities and Betty is incapable of working when they take over). Her daughter just got out of Baltimore jail last week - for her 4th internment - and is awaiting sentencing on her credit-card stealing-spending charges that took place the beginning of March. This poor girl, Kayla, is only 19, a crack-whore with a criminal record longer than my arm and with no hope of a future that doesn't include running from drug, physical and mental abuse. And that's just from her family.

The daily drama in Betty's life was a roller coaster to equal the Kingda Ka at Six Flags in NJ, and a constant interruption to our office day that was jam-packed with appointments, court appearances, document filings and a phone that wouldn't stop ringing.

Now this was just 1 of the 7 employees in this firm. I'll post what the other 6 were like. Not a nomal one in the bunch!!!

I know that things happen for a reason ... and I think it's best that I'm out of that hell-hole, though my ego is very bruised and I'm feeling sorry for itself right now. I know I'm better off ... but gosh ... it still hurts. And this is the 5th time. OMG ... I feel like such a looser. Why can't I find a job where I can provide excellent secretarial service and not have to worry that I'll be back on the streets within a few months or years.

This past weekend I put myself out there on monster.com - and sending to my friends notice that if they hear of any secretarial jobs [within a 50 mile radius of York] ... could they keep me in mind and let me know where to send off a resume? I've applied for over 25 positions since Friday, all in the Executive-Administrative-Medical-Legal-Secretary field. As Zig Zigler (a motivational sales speaker) always says ... You have to get 50 NO's to get 1 YES. So I guess I have 25 more jobs to apply for before I find that 1 job that is just right for me. :)

So please keep me in your prayers and thoughts to find that perfect job. I have 20 more years that I must work, unless I win POWERBALL on Wednesday, and I really just want to find the right job working for a boss that appreciates the work I can provide, treat me with respect and whom I can provide the best secretarial-administrative service they'll ever receive.

Well ... As the saying goes ...

When life hands you lemons ...
Grab the Tequila and Salt and make MARGARITAS!!!

That's not a saying? Well ... it should be!!!

Just 3 days till I get to spend Karaoke Night with my TTP Girls!!!

OMG ... Do I NEED this TTP!!! It couldn't have come at a better time.


Pammy
http://community.webshots.com/user/nitneelin
Life is too short for drama & petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, be a good friend, care deeply, speak kindly, love truly and forgive quickly.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
http://www.myspace.com/nitneelion
Sleep Well America. My MARINE has your back!
OOORAH - It's a MARINE thing.
If you can read this, thank a teacher. Since it is in English, thank a soldier.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

2007 Christmas Newsletter

January 6, 2008

Happy New Year!!! Please forgive the lateness of our holiday greetings. I was struck with a stomach flu that lasted through Christmas to this week that I am still not over, but am now able to get to the computer. 2007 had been a very busy year in the Fortney household. As you may have noticed, we did not send out our annual Christmas newsletter last year as we were recovering from our respective surgeries. We were the walking wounded at Christmas, hobbling around like the geriatric couple we are becoming. If you did not receive our email anecdotes of Jimmy’s hip surgery or you just want to relive all the fun again, you can go to my blog on Blogspot at http://nitneelin.blogspot.com/

While Jimmy was recouping, he had the Matt’s working their tails off around the house. As Jimmy was convalescing in his Lazy-Boy, he would come up with all kinds of chores that he wanted done and every morning he would enlist the Matts, giving them instructions for the day. Both of them were quite happy to see Jimmy go back to work in January.

Though we loved having the kids around, we were envisioning Autumn, Matt (son-in-law) and Matthew (son) living with us for … well … forever. You can imagine our surprise in March when Autumn and Matt bought a house in Marietta, PA and moved out that same month. Then the week before they moved, Matthew (son) announced that he was joining the Marines and leaving 2 weeks after the wedding in May. Wow … in a few short months we went from 5 adults and 2 dogs to 2 adults and 1 dog living in our house. It is completely different and definitely quieter. Though we are enjoying our “empty nest”, I have to admit that I do miss the kids and Riley (Autumn’s chocolate lab).

The wedding on Friday, May 25, 2007 was fabulous. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was so much fun. For their wedding gift, the parents got together and sent Autumn and Matt on their honeymoon - a 7-day cruise to Bermuda out of Philadelphia. They had a wonderful time. We certainly did our best to send them off into their new life together in grand style.

The video of the ceremony and reception turned out fantastic! I am trying to figure out how to convert the video so I can post it on Webshots for everyone to access.

The week after Matt and Autumn returned from their honeymoon, we had Matthew’s going-away party and the next thing we knew … we were driving him to the Recruiter’s office to send him off to Parris Island. Matthew flew through boot camp with flying colors. He loved it, which just goes to show you that this was definitely the right choice for him. Except for the obligatory 1 phone call announcing that he arrived – which we couldn’t say anything to him and he could not deviate from the script he was reading – our only contact was through letters. No phones, no email. Just hand-carried letters by the post office. I had to restrain myself from accosting the mail carrier every day hoping for a letter from Matthew. Surprisingly, he wrote 3-4 times a week. I wrote him every day and sent him printed pictures of what we were doing and old pics I scanned from our photo albums so he would have some pieces of home with him. It was such a comfort to hear that he was actually enjoying his experience at boot camp. The summer seemed to drag on forever, but soon it was Labor Day and we were driving down to South Carolina to see Matthew graduate and bring him home for 10 days. Graduation at Parris Island is simply amazing. The DIs (Drill Instructors) take these young boys and girls and turn them into Marines in 13 short weeks. We were fortunate to be able to meet 2 of Matthew’s DIs. I was expecting
screaming, growling, foaming at the mouth monsters. I was quite surprised to find they were polite, soft-spoken men who had great respect for Matthew. Of course, we are so proud of Matthew and everything he has accomplished. He had matured into a man over the course of the summer and walking taller than ever before.

The 10-day leave flew by in a flash and we were soon driving him to BWI for Matthew to fly to Camp Lejeune for his next session of training, MCT (Marine Combat Training). For three weeks, we did not hear from him. He was living and training in the woods and not able to receive mail. It was so great to hear his voice when he called after returning to camp. He loved MCT and shortly after began his training for his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), which is Basic Water Support Technician better known as WATER DOGS.

Over Thanksgiving, Matthew was allowed 4-day leave (Wednesday to Sunday) and we enjoyed him being with us to celebrate. Leave at Christmas was touch-n-go for a while and we were not sure if he was going to be allowed to come home. Finally, on the 16th, he was given the okay, but by then the airlines were booked solid. So on Thursday, Dec 20th, I drove down to Jacksonville, NC, stayed overnight at the Comfort Suites and picked Matthew up at Camp Lejeune when he was dismissed on Friday, Dec 21st and got on the road at 2:30 pm and we arrived home at 9 p.m. in record time – and no speeding tickets! Then on the 2nd of Jan I drove Matt back down and turned around and came home the same day – We left York at 10 am and I got home at 1:30 am. Again, no tickets! My guardian angels were riding shotgun!

In addition to Jimmy riding with his biking buddies, he set another goal for himself in 2007, he road across Iowa in the middle of July. In April, he was asked to be a member on TEAM LIVESTRONG. Team Livestrong, of course led by Lance, joined RAGBRAI and raised over $300,000 in the team’s efforts to raise cancer awareness and support of those living and surviving with cancer. Through the support of our friends and family, Jimmy raised over $2,500 for Livestrong. RAGBRAI, is the Des Moines, Iowa newspaper sponsored annual ride. RAGBRAI – Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa – originating in 1973. Since then, every year over 20,000 people ride across the great state of Iowa just for the fun of it. There are hundreds of teams, all with many different themes. (You really need to go TEAM LIVESTRONG 2007 to our Webshots page and check out the pictures!!!) It was Team Livestrong’s first year participating in RAGBRAI, but it will not be their last. Jimmy has already been asked to rejoin the team and he will once again be riding across Iowa in July. Over 500 miles in 7 days - in 100o+ heat and 100% humidity - camping out every night in his little pup tent on a blow up mattress - standing in line for port-a-showers set up in the middle of fields. It is Mardi Gras/Spring Break on bicycles. Jimmy made many good friends on Team Livestrong and is looking forward to riding with them again this summer.

On Easter Monday, my mom had several mini-strokes and ended up in the Lancaster Hospital. After several weeks, she was discharged to skilled care at Garden Spot in New Holland, Lancaster PA – her retirement community where she lives. After a few weeks in skilled care, she was able to move back to her apartment. We are so thankful that Mom is doing so great and her recuperation has been nothing short of a miracle.

The week before the wedding, 3 of the 5 staff members at PCA were permanently laid off due to a huge drop in membership. Through the summer, I have been taking a paralegal course online and will receive my paralegal certificate in January. Though I have been sending out my resume for any secretarial position I could find – there have not been many and I have not been contacted for an interview. Though it is hard not to get down, I have been trying to focus on the future. Hopefully after the holidays, I will find a job that suits me to a T! However, the time off of work has enabled me to spend more time with my mom and enjoy many weekly lunches with her and her girlfriends, which has been a wonderful time!

Since you are getting our card after Christmas, after the presents have been opened, after the food has been eaten, and after everyone is heading back to your busy lives, take a moment … Remember … that what is left is the most important thing … your family and friends. We think of you often and hope for peace, joy and love to be with you all through the year and we pray for you to have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2008.

Please send us your email address so we can stay in touch. Pammy is Nitneelin@aol.com and Jimmy is MGRDSTR68@aol.com. Also, throughout the year, check out our picture albums at Webshots.com at http://community.webshots.com/user/nitneelin.