Flashback Friday: My New Job

November 2001: 
A friend of mine was now a monitor on the preschool bus at the school corporation and mentioned they were in a bind:  One of the drivers had an emergency coming up and they needed another driver/monitor.


"Didn't you tell me you used to drive for somebody to and from school?"


"Yes; Crossroads in Indianapolis."


"You really need to talk to Mike, and put your application in."

I thought about it; talked it over with the spouse, and as the deadline drew nearer and they still hadn't found the right person, I put my application in.  A phone call later that day, and I was heading in to talk to Mike, the head of the Transportation Department.

He asked me about my driving experience and education background, then hired me on the spot.


"You've got the best resume of all the ones I've seen.  Can you be here at 6am tomorrow?"


"S-sure."

6am?  OMG...suddenly I was going to have to wake everyone up at 5:30am; make sure my kids got on the bus at 7am, and have the teenage neighbor watch them after school.  Thankfully, this would only last three days, and then I'd be on call.  I could handle that, right?

And it was fun, at first.  I got to know all the kids and both drivers, and after dropping the kids at school, we met at a coffee shop in Clayton for breakfast.  I was home by 10:15 and collapsed into bed for a nap.

At noon, I took a shower and was back at the school by 1, then arrived home around 5.

Thanksgiving arrived, and we traveled south to the MIL's house.  And received a shock two hours later:  Nephew D and his girlfriend arrived....and announced they were expecting.  "Andrew" would be born in the spring.

I don't think Niece J and little MDQ (age 3 months) were there that day; I don't think I met MDQ until Easter 2002.

Present Day:
I made chocolate chip muffins this morning.  I'd started watching The Social Network last night when company arrived, so finished it the morning.  It nearly made me want to delete my FB account.  MZ came off extremely arrogant, but after I thought about it, I think he was snowed over by SP, and it was a case of bad decision-making.  Slow-rise vs meteoric rise and not caring who gets hurt in the process?  Everything worked out in the end, but the mom in me wanted to storm in and knock some heads around, plus deliver a loyalty and friendship lecture.

I am not a Black Friday shopper.  I don't have the desire to fight the crowds, nor do I have the finances to shop.  If we do ever get fiscally solvent again, I plan to shop online or at least get the majority bought by October.  I heard a woman pepper-sprayed her 'competition' in L.A. over an X-Box.  Seriously?

I plan to take down my Thanksgiving decorations and start hauling up the Christmas ones.  And that means rallying the troops to clean up some of the mess from yesterday.  Yes, my spouse and the teenagers left sticky plates in the living room, and crumbs on the floor.

Have a good weekend!