LJ Idol Presents:

 The results have been posted -  https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1122236.html
A new prompt is up -  https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1122539.html

and I owe everyone some general updates (and a clarification or two):

Hi. I'm Gary. You might remember me from such hits as LJ Idol.  ;) You don't see me as often as I'd like because I'm working nonstop. Actually so much that I recently "hit the wall" which is around the same time that I got in trouble with the new boss for working too many hours late at night... the same new boss who also wants me to "come up with a plan" to get everything done that needs to be done... you know, running at half staff for 6 months, during a transition that took place at the busiest time of year - with technical issues including lack of email for about a week, and even when we got access to that we lost access to all kinds of stuff. Oh, and of course Accounting not being able to send out checks to the people we need to pay. But yes, I will come up with a plan right away to do everything. It's a really good plan. It's called "hire people". HR doesn't even have our job vacancies posted yet - but I worked out a work-around with them and thanks to word odf mouth have two interviews scheduled. One of them today and the other on Monday!!

Based on evcerything we need to do this month, and how long it takes to get someone hired, even if both of them are fantastic applicants who would be perfect for the job and are willing to accept the offer and start right away, they won't be here in time to save us from this Hell Month. But they will make things better going forward. 

Working for this new boss though is going to be "interesting"... the former boss was way too hands off. This one is way too hands on, in the worst way possible. An example - the Director of another department needed us to look into making some corrections for her. So she our boss and said she knew we were swamped BUT was there anyway SHE could do those corrections for her instead... My Director responded that she would be glad to help out - and immediately called me to tell me to "make it a priority"... :O  I was at lunch at the time, and had a meeting immediately following. I told her that I would get to it "this afternoon" and was told "it's already afternoon, I need this done as soon as possible"... Mind you, WE weren't asked to do it, SHE was...  The only good thing to come from that is that I got to mention it to that Director who needed help. (who I'm on really good terms with) She was absolutely horrified that trying to *help us* by not putting one more thing on our plate had backfired so spectacularly...  Well, I guess *two* good things, because my Director's co-workers and boss also got to see her trying to foist it off on one of her coworkers as well by explaining that she was "rusty" on doing a task she's never actually done. 


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Cynthia is feeling MUCH better. She still has the fatigue that hits her in waves and hasn't fully recovered her sense of smell yet. She's working on that by doing the "connect a smell to a memory" trick that apparently is what they tell you to do. 

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re: my old boss Kim.  I mentioned going to her Celebration of Life because I honestly thought that I'd posted about her. Apparently I had not. I mentioned it on Facebook, not here. She wasn't my most recent boss. She was my old boss's boss... a couple bosses ago.  :) (She had the job which is now MY supervisor if that makes any sense.)   Anyway, this is the article about what happened: https://www.wftv.com/news/local/orange-county/deputies-identify-couple-found-dead-apparent-murder-suicide-international-drive/

Her husband had a history of mental health issues, and a gun... and well, that's what ended up happening.  "Not All Guns" "Not All People With a History of Mental Health Issues"... I know.... I know... it's fair to say "Yes All Men" though. Because there's definitely a toxic element that fuels both of those other things into violence that isn't often seen without it. But I digress.... losing Kim was a loss to the entire community.

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and speaking of "loss to the entire community"... Karla.  I actually had to go back to see if she had ever actually played Idol, but as far as I can tell, she didn't. But I know she was a long time voter/supporter. We had quite a few mutual friends from back in the LJ days. She passed away from cancer a few days ago.  A few months ago (seems like a lifetime) when my family visited Santa Fe, she was one of the people that I had reached out to for advice on stuff to do and see... she was a lifetime member of Meow Wolf, and hooked us up with tickets! She said that she wasn't able to meet up and now I have a better understanding of "why"...

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Anyway - make sure that the people who matter to you KNOW it. *looks around the room* Yeah, I have nothing more to say.  ;)   

Seriously though... thank you for helping to keep this place alive and still so much fun! I hope to be on the other side of this personal nightmare at work (that I volunteered for by staying to keep things going... what was I thinking????) in a few months. Thanks for your patience and understanding.