Wow, what a week!

Whew, glad that's over! Well, I started my new (second) job this week. As I mentioned, it's telephone work from home gathering information from hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices, etc. to determine interest in various client's products and services; primarily high end/high tech medical equipment. It's very easy work and quite boring, but it pays extremely well considering, so I won't complain (too much!) Anyway, it's been an adjustment, especially in terms of time management, but think it will work out as I'm slowly settling into more of a routine. As expected, Em has experienced some difficulty adjusting to much less of her mommy's undivided attention, but she's been a real trooper and her cooperation and understanding has been greatly appreciated, which I've made sure to compliment her on quite often.

Speaking of compliments, excuse me while I brag for just a moment, but I must share the fabulous email I received from my new boss on Friday, as it left me cheesing big time for much of the morning.

Titled: Okay, I give up!

Beverly,I can't find a single thing to find fault with in your work for yesterday. You hit 4.0 completions per hour, all your data fields are filled in, your spelling is impeccable, and your comments are detailed and exactly what we need. Are you sure you haven't worked for us before?

Seriously, great job!
Paul

Not only that, but he also sent a message to all of my co-workers expressing his desire to have them emulate my particular style of resolving the data we gather, making sure to point out how new I was to the job. Oy vey! You know they're all thinking, "That brown-nosing bitch!" Oh well, one good thing about working from home is that I never have to deal with office politics or drama, whew!

Now, on to other things, namely the big meeting between Mellany (Em's counselor) and Bub. Ha, what a joke! As expected, he poured on the charm, or rather, some semblance of normalcy, (which for him, is charm) and tried with all his might to sound like the concerned, loving super dad that he fancies himself to be. And she saw straight fucking through him! Ahhhh, the validation, what a spectacular thing!! He did most of the talking, of course (as if I even needed to say it). She told me later that she suspects that he typically does most of the talking in any room he happens to be gracing with his presence (uhhh, yuh!) and that she had a very strong, almost overwhelming feeling of me being pushed down or stifled the whole time we were together (double yuh!) He was very clever in the way he almost unwittingly made offhanded comments directed at my (many) faults and weaknesses as a person/wife/and mother, which, to a less attuned or untrained individual would surely have been taken as fact rather than for the narcissistic opinions that I believe them to be. I can only imagine what he's told his friends and family, and what they surely must think of me, knowing that they would have taken his word of my cold hearted mistreatment of him as gold, but I digress. The point of the matter is that he's been appeased, (meaning he doesn't think she's a total quack, and sees fit to allow her to continue counseling our daughter for the time being) and I'll hopefully have a bit of a break before he starts harping on whatever his next gripe will be. And believe me, there will be. Anyway, Em had her own appointment with Mellany the next day (Wed.) at which time my thoughts from my previous post were confirmed. Mellany informed me that in her opinion, Em would really prefer to have nothing to do with Bub, and would be perfectly happy if she didn't have to spend any time alone with him at all. She even probed Em's more recent desire to only plan outings with all of us together, thinking that perhaps there were some intent to reform her broken family. But that thought was quickly squelched by Em's adamant assertion that she does not want us back together again, and wouldn't even entertain the idea of pretending it were so, even for just a moment, as Mellany asked her to. No, it's quite clear that she simply prefers this scenario because it makes her feel more comfortable to have me near by. So if that's what she needs right now, then so be it. I can tolerate his idiocy (after all, I did it for almost 11 years) if it means that my daughter can feel safe and happy while with him. Hopefully this need will fade with time, but if not, I'll manage. Because, no matter what, I can at least take comfort in the fact that at the end of the day he must go his way, we get to go ours, and once again all will be right with the world.