I had a wonderful long weekend! I slept in on Friday and lounged around in my p.j's for awhile before calling mom to see if she would be up to get me. It wasn't the nicest weather so we decided that it would be better to come and get me on Saturday instead. I read all day and eventually got showered and dressed. It was nice. Saturday I got up around 9:30am and showered and got ready, had a couple cups of coffee and figured mom was probably at home doing the same thing (drinking coffee), so I figured I would call and see when she would be coming to get me. It was about 10:30am or around there at this point. I called and she said that she was about 5mins away from the apartment!! I nearly fell over with shock! It was great! We all had some more coffee (on the broken coffee maker, which thankfully didn't explode), watched some Girlicious and headed to Saint John about 11am. The drive was very nice, no deers! We didn't do to much when we got to Saint John. Richard was off at 7pm, so we made reservations to go to the Delta for dinner. Mom and I both enjoyed the buffet and some drinks and Richard ordered fish and fries (I think). Our buffet came with everything! I even left some room to eat dessert. I was never really interested in cheese cake before I met Sam, but now I always make sure I eat it when I'm out and it's an option or dessert is included. hmmm..... We were then going to go bowling, but got to the bowlarama on the westside and there was a wait to get a lane. We then decided to go get some movies and a game for the Wii at blockbuster. We rented sleuth, license to wed and braim academy (or something like that) for the Wii. License to Wed was funny, sleuth we didn't finish (sunday). Te wii game was pretty fun, just easy things but you have to be really quick at it. Sunday Mom and I went to Giant Tiger and bought some new clothes. I got some really nice shirts and a dressy skirt and matching top. Mom picked out some new tops as well. We had a reallly nice boiled ham dinner, there were enough left overs for me to pack a whole bunch of ham and vege's (I ended up forgetting on Monday though *grr*). Monday mom had to work so I lounged about with Gizmo for awhile and then headed down to Giant Tiger to buy a new coffee maker, since ours has been broken for about a year- and we've "fixed" it kinda, and return a couple fo shirts mom had bought the day before (she hates trying stuff on, I was trying Everything on and modeling too!-so I knew it all fit). I found an awesome coffee maker! It's got a timer and everything. I set it the night before and by the time I shower and get dressed I have a pot of coffee brewed and ready! It's wonderful and long overdue, it was only $29.99! Mom and Rich drove me home around 5pmish. I got home and decided to treat myself and Sam to dinner. We went to Hannah's and I had a turkey dinner. I worked 71/2 hr shifts for my "practicum" for collections, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then I go back to my 8:45 shifts Friday. It is really nice having the extra time not at work. Alicia has been giving me rides home while I get off at 10:30pm (the last bus is at 10:20pm) which is really nice of her. I get home before I would on the bus anyway. Tomorrow I have to get back into the longer shift (boo!!). Hopefully the summer shifts are more barable. Collections really isn't any more difficult than billing, easier in some ways. Sam surprised me and is making something for us to eat and wasn't even playing WOW when I got home. He went to service nb today for an appointment with a representative to get a referral for a program that he would like to take. He'll know next week if he got the referral, otherwise he would have to pay $1800!! For a 2mth program at that! Anyway it smells like dinner is ready!!mmmm!!

I had a really nice day at work yesterday. The calls were steady, but not relentless and all of the people that I spoke with were pretty friendly. I worked from 12:30pm-3:30pm and the time was just flying by. Kelly Levesque (the human resources manager) approached me at 3:35pm and told me to log out. She said that she had a reward for me to show her appreciation for joining the collections training when she asked me to. She booked me off the phones from 3:35-8pm doing back office work. Cameron(a guy from back office) showd me how to log some things on addresses where there is gas being used but no one has set up an account to take responsablility for the gas service. I didn't have to talk to anyone all day! It was an awesome break from the phone! When I logged on at 8pm I only had an hour and 45mins left of the day. Near the end of my shift I spoke with an older guy who said that I had the nicest voice and sounded like a sweetheart! He said that I was in the wrong line of work, probably assuming that people yell alot. I asked him why he thought I was doing the wrong kind of work if I have a nice voice, and he just said that I sounded like a sweetheart. I don't even remember what he called about. I think he was frustrated about something, maybe not getting his bill, but he kind of forgot why he called after he was talking to me for a bit. I told him that he had a credit on his account, but I probably should have verified his postal address. hmmmmm...oops!! Sam went to Saint John to visit his mom and dad this weekend, they wanted him to go down for some reason. Which means I have the whole house to myself! I can do whatever I want to! (including use the computer whenever I want to-not having to wait 3-5hours to use the computer is nice). I went and got groceries this afternoon and I did a good deed! A representative from the Fredericton food bank was around the fruits and vegetables and I asked him what the bags (on the table) were for, and he told me that you buy the 5$ bags of food and donate it to the food bank. I thought that was resonable and offered to buy one. I had a donair for lunch and it was delicious! I think Gizmo is cold since her hair cut, she stays on top of my fuzzy p.js on the bed all the time. I am so excited to have a four day work week for this week and next week. I still have to get ahold of mom to see if she and/or richard can pick me up on Friday or what they want me to do.

I was approached by a supervisor and she asked me if I wanted to be collections trained. I immediately said no, telling her that I don't like people yelling at me. She said that was o.k and approached some of my other co-workers. Alicia and Ashley said that they would do it and enrolled in the training class (4-12am). The hours for the training class weren't all that great for me either. I was talking with Alicia and she said that I should join the training class and offered to give me a drive for the training period. So...I was thinking about it and was later approched by the human resouces manager inquire to why I was so hesitant to join a collections skillset. She told me that it is mostly payment arrangements (which I know how to do) and getting people reconnected after being disconnected for arrears. She told me if I would give it a chance and hated it after 3mths, she would remove me from that skillset. We shook on it. So, at least I will be learning something new and know that I won't be stuck indefinately if I don't like it. I was unable to book today off, so Sam and I dropped Gizmo off at the groomers shortly after 10am and went to Second Cup before catching my bus. We both got a caramel coretto, nice but I probably only needed a small instead of the mediums I bought us. We then went to Mcdonalds and got some sausage mcmuffins. I caught the bus shortly after that. I really should start eating something in the mornings. I feel alot better when I do. But i am pretty friggin lazy when it comes to making something for myself to eat. I signed the home early book today, and actually got an email asking if I wanted to go early. I was able to leave at 8:45pm(an hour early) and just use "floater" time to cover it. I got home shortly after 9pm and Sam had left overs for me, which I love to have when I get home from work (it was a chicken pasta dish-very nice). I've been able to read my book for awhile and I'll get to wat Without a Trace. Gizmo is SO little after her jair cut. The groomer trimmed her down to almost nothing!! Even her ears are little, I usually ask that they be left kinda floppy, but I forgot and now realize how little her ears actually are. She is such a little dog! She's awesome!

My hope that I would be working less hours with the April shift bid opening has been foiled. I checked the shift bid and the only shift that works with the bus schedule will have me working 15mins more than I do right now. So instead of 8:45min shifts I will have 9hr shifts. Boo to long stupid shifts!! When I applied for this job it said that they hours would be from 35-42. After training I've never worked less than 44 and up to 47! I am really getting sick of being there ALL the time. I'm there 44 hrs this month and probably 45 next mth. I have enjoyed having weekends off though. Yesterday Sam and I spent the whole day together. We got up and went to brunch at Hannahs and then headed over to Zellers to pick up a few things. When we got home we had coffee and watched some t.v together. It was really nice. Today we watched some t.v together and Sam made us some scrambled eggs and toast before he started to play WOW. I cooked a roast for dinner and made some fries and gravy to have with it. We were out of potatoes, so I settled on fries. The reason BTW that I don't update as often as I used to is because I'm not allowed to post at work (I'm there all day), and when I get home I don't want to look at a computer after sitting in front of one all day. Sometimes on my breaks I write a post and email it to myself intending on posting it when I get home, but I always forget. Sam and I also stopped at the bulkbarn while we were out yesterday and got some treats. Sam got some chocolate covered coffee beans and I bought some chocolate covered rasberry creams. I've had a nice relaxing weekend, it's been nice to lounge about and do whatever I want (even if it is nothing!). I tried to book this Thursday off as a vacation day, Gizmo really needs a hair cut and the veterinarians office/groomers is not open on the weekend. It would be nice to have a day off as well, maybe go see a movie or something. Hopefully I can get approved Monday and be able to call. I gave them more than a weeks notice that I would like the day off and I checked the group allowance and it had the least amount of hours in the negative. I don't know if I wrote this last time, but I was checking the online message board for my skillset and it turns out that I have the entire Easter weekend off! I knew I would have Good Friday and had tried to book Monday off, but the message board said that we have it off anyway! Woohoo! It will be nice to have a long weekend. I get paid that Friday too, so it should be a nice weekend. The message board listed all the days that we get off for stat holidays and there is one almost every month until Christmas time. March is Easter-April I booked April 14 to have a long weekend-May19 (Mon) is victoria day-June-nothing but maybe I could work something out- July 1-Canada Day(Tues)-Aug 4(mon) is BC day (I work for terasen gas who supplies BC)-Sept 1 (mon)-labour day-Oct 13(mon) Thanksgiving and Nov 11 (tues) Remembrance day. I also booked the week of Christmas off and have been approved for Dec 22, 23, 24 (on waiting list to be app), 25-closed, 26 closed and approved for dec 27th as well. With weekends off that will give me 9 days off this year. I wish I could get a 9-5pm job though that would be nice. Oh well, nothings perfect! :)