My "position"

Well I had the talk with "HR" (my transaction dept boss) and the "almost" big boss (not the owner but the VP). It was not awesome (by any stretch of the imagination).

My new fancy title: Transaction Coordinator/IT Director
My new not fancy salary: $20,000/30hr week

I was stunned frankly. We are not in the hey day of our market certainly, and we have cut 1 million dollars in costs across all the offices. But really?? So I am staying here purely out of loyalty and my need to have a job until we take our vacation in January. I can't say I will be sticking around long after we get back.

We (me enthusiastically, Duane less so) are planning on ripping up the kitchen this weekend. I am sick of everything in there (not the appliances) and can't wait till all that is left is bare walls and a new sub-floor. We are going back and forth on what flooring and cabinets to put in. We were decided previously, but things have changed now with the thought that we will sell the house next year. We feel like we should do something more neutral/traditional than previously planned. So it looks like IKEA cabinets are out and a more traditional maple are in.

Duane had a good weekend visiting with his friend Chris. They had lots of beer and participated in their yearly fantasy football draw and some golfing.

Yea right

I love it when someone doesn't follow the procedures that they have put in place, and then it is your fault when things get goofed up. Yea right.

I am doing well on my 1 movie a week promise to myself. I saw the Mummy (SUCKED pretend like it was never released), Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (good Disney movie), and tonight I will be seeing the Incredible Hulk at the cheap theater. Lots of fun!

The Midwest Beer Festival was amazing and so much fun. People were very nice and we tried tons of different beers. We were pretty drunk (the kind of drunk where you remember what happened but not all the exact details) but we had dinner and then played some Rockband. A great day.

The weather has been nice here and things have been good generally. Just really busy!

Update

I talked to my boss this week and straightened out the job situation. I will become a salaried employee (although we didn't discuss what my salary would be doh!) and he would reimburse me for buying a fancy (smart) phone. There is a need for me to receive emails wherever I may be, so thus the new Blackberry Curve. It is totally cool and I have barely tinkered with it. I am usually always the one that gets the plain jane phone, so it is fun to have a cool phone!

We are planning on going to the State Fair this weekend (YUM fried cheese curds!) and continue cleaning up the house. Our poor birch tree in the front yard has a beetle infestation. They are eating all the leaves and pooing on my car. Gotta figure out what to do about them.

The following weekend is the Midwest Beer Festival. Duane has really been looking forward to this. One of his friends from grad school is traveling here to go to it. Another friend was supposed to come, but predictably bailed this week (in an email no less!).

Summer is shooting by, but I do look foward to good sleeping weather (and no air con)