Bookish Jen

Ugh. I'm so pissed. My rent is going up again. And no, this won't include any improvements to my place. If I asked to get some updates to my kitchen (everything is so old), my rent would jacked up even higher. Rent has gotten ridiculous in my neighborhood. I even saw a studio for rent for over $2000 per month, in Milwaukee. WTF?

Congratulations. I'm very happy for you. As for me. Well, I got some very shocking news yesterday. My boss is no longer with the company. I have no idea what happened or what her departure entails, but so many of us feel like we've been kicked in the gut. I really liked her; she was a really great boss. I can't imagine her leaving for anything petty so I wonder what she might have done to have left. I hope it's something not too nefarious. At the moment, a member of our team is acting as a interim manager until we can get a permanent replacement. I like this team member, but I'm worried the permanent replacement might not be as good of a boss. I also wonder how this will play out in me getting hired on full time. I just so freaking tired.

With me, it's Scrabble tiles. And I accidentally washed one when I was doing laundry and it got all faded. Don't ask me how a Scrabble tile got in the laundry. Luckily, I can buy replacement tiles on-line.

All I can say is "Shackles" is a banger.

I tried to read "This Bird Has Flown" by Susanna Hoffs (yes, the Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles), but I just couldn't. Right away, I could tell it was going to have a paper thin plot and characters of no substance. I can handle fluff, but not that much fluff. I'm currently reading (and enjoying) Kelly Sather's collection of short stories about various California denizens "Small in Real Life." And I was finally able to check out "Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang from my local library. I wonder if it's worth the hype. I also checked out "The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right Wing" by Tina Nguyen.

This one really hurts. But what a life she lead. Iris Apfel, Fashion Icon and Subject of the Documentary "Iris," Dead at 102.

Diva was the first foreign language movie I ever watched. So sad about Wilhelmina Wiggins Fernandez. She was brilliant in Diva, probably one of the reasons I kept watching foreign language films.

I'm still at the temp job I got last fall, and it's going splendidly. I've gotten great feedback from my boss and coworkers. One of my coworkers thinks I'm going to get hired on permanently in the spring or summer. I sure hope so. We did have a weird incident at work last Monday. We brought on another temp. She didn't even last a week and a half. The week she started she seemed to be catching on really quickly and we thought she'd be a good addition to the team. Well, last Monday morning, my boss caught her lying her head down on her desk. My boss asked her if she was feeling okay, but this temp was being really evasive and weird. Was she sick or what? Then this temp picked up her knapsack and walked out, no explanation, nothing offered. She did leave a few of her personal effects at her desk including a water bottle, which was lying on the floor underneath her desk. I picked it up and gave it to my boss. She opened it and took a whiff. Then she asked me to take a whiff. We both smelled alcohol. My boss contacted HR and told her this temp is not welcomed back. She also contacted the temp agency. The temp agency sacked her.

Wonderful news, crisis averted. I bought a new battery and a new charging cord, and now my phone is back to normal. Thank goodness. I saved myself a lot of dough. On topic: Pet Peeves Clothing today is trash. Not only do I have trouble finding clothing that is attractive and stylish, I'm also having trouble finding clothing that doesn't immediately fall apart. I have sweaters I bought in the 90s and the aughts that are still in great condition, but a sweater I bought two years ago is already falling apart. It's maddening.

I think it means that Princeton is the best of the Ivies.

I've only had my smartphone for four years, and already it has to be replaced because the battery doesn't really charge as quickly and I can't use an important app because I need to upgrade my phone. Ugh.

I actually got a bit misty-eyed when she won. I'm such a dork.

Note to self: Drink lots of caffeine so you can stay up late to watch the Oscars and Abbott Elementary.

I feel like I'm getting an early Valentine's Day present. What wonderful news!

I'm currently reading Harker Jones' novel "Until September: A Gay Coming of Age Story." The author was kind enough to send me a copy.

I have to admit I am more saddened by Matthew Perry's death than I thought I would me. It's just so tragic.

You could easily find pumpkin carving classes and demonstrations on YouTube for free. And I cringed over the last presenters because they're from Milwaukee like me. Our local ABC news affiliate mad a big deal about them being on Shark Tank.

The Favor turned out to be boring and slow so I returned it to the library without finishing it. I'm currently reading A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul. It's a novelization of the rivalry between beauty business women Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. I really like it.

Cloud9Shopper-If you want to take time to regroup, refresh, and take time away from job hunting that's perfectly fine. Concentrate on yourself, pamper yourself in any way possible. I totally understand not wanting to work in a call center. I've done that myself, and it sucks. In fact, a coworker and I were talking about how cool it is to work at a place where were not always on the phone. It's a blessing.

Okay, I had my first week on the new job, and it went so well. I'm catching on much quicker than I thought I would. I thought training would last two weeks, but because I got the hang of it so quickly, I was able to work on my own yesterday. Of course, the co-worker who trained me was available if I had any questions. And I really like my co-workers. Everyone (so far) is chill and has a sense of humor. I also get to work a half day on Fridays! Yay, me!

I'm currently reading Rona Jaffe's classic novel "The Best of Everything." I saw the movie several years ago, and I really liked it. "The Best of Everything" was quite scandalous when in came out in 1958. It featured women wanting to have careers, having pre-marital sex, having affairs with married men, and having abortions. The book is pretty good.

I just finished "Poverty, By America" by Matthew Desmond and "Strip Tees: A Memoir of a Millennial Los Angeles" by Kate Flannery (nope, not the actress from "The Office.") I liked both of them a lot, and I highly recommend it. Sadly, I can't highly recommend Curtis Sittenfeld's latest novel "Romantic Comedy." I've enjoyed her other books a lot, and it just feels like this one was phoned in.

Well, unless there is a change of plans, I should be starting that temp job next week on the 9th.

Good news. I'm still in the running for that long-term temp job I was telling you about. The company is still interviewing and need to do background checks. However, the non-profit I temper at last fall needed someone for a couple of weeks and welcomed me back.

Can somebody explain the top Sunny was wearing yesterday with those weird sleeves?