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Who says you can't have a good birthday in rural China! You definitely CAN! Before I was really sad thinking about spending my birthday in Qinghai away from my friends and family. However, to my pleasant surprise I had a great birthday in Qinghai. My birthday was yesterday March 15th. I spent it with my program partner Julie and staff from the CDC. I had two birthday cakes and a great birthday dinner. I guess the CDC staff really felt like they were comfortable with me because they sure were friendly when they painted my face with frosting. They not only did it once, but twice! I just couldn't get away from getting frosting all over my face when a birthday cake was around. On the night of my birthday all the staff took me out to a birthday dinner. As part of the tradition they order everyone a big bowl of long life noodles, which are these really thin long noodles. Before anyone eats, everyone pulls out a bit of noodles from their own bowl, wishes me a long and happy life and places it into my bowl. It was really sweet. I felt like I was surrounded by close friends.
On a different note, I think I spoke too soon when I said the weather was nice. The sand/duct storms are in and man is it bad. The air is totally filled with dust. It is hard to keep my eyes open and breathe. Dust Everywhere!! Julie and I both feel kinda sick from the air pollution. Our throats are starting to feel sore and our sinuses are a bit plugged. Definitely not fun!

I have never been one for Customer Service -- it just is not in my blood. I do not have the patience to deal with other people, especially when they are not smart. Those who believe they actually know a thing or two are even worse, for they will give you the most trouble and believe that you should concentrate solely on their problems -- no one else exists to them.

There is something else about the so called "power user" needing help -- no matter what the position or pay grade, they believe they are better than you. It is as if they need your help, but only because they do not have the time to investigate and figure it out themselves.

I know I am in a position where I must help other people sometimes. The key word is "sometimes". My job makes it so I must spend most of my time fixing, tinkering, researching, etc. to support the wider, firm-wide issues. Do IT managers really need to focus on individual users all the time? I hope not, or I have made a horrible career mistake.

Being honest with myself, I absolutely loath dealing with other people and having to hear their problems, or worse, having to actually help them. Why can't they all just be like me and figure it out. How hard is that?

I think I'm going to leave. I haven't decided if I'm permanently leaving or if I'm just going away. I know that I can't stay here.

Okay,

this is going to be SHORT because I am super busy! I am trying to get wedding plans done and the invitations are giving me fits,,, finally got a nice one done on PrintShop and now it won't print and so I took it down town to the print shop and they can't even get it to print either!

So here's the lowdown, wedding date, April, 19th at Kampkinship above Deadwood SD and reception at the Deadwood VFW. ohhhh This is going to be crazy between now and then because I am crazy busy at work, trying to get several school dist. applications doneand SD state teaching certificate competed plus get the house ready to sell. I am really trying to NOT stress but easier said than done... and to top it all off I have some female issue going on!!! My Dr. thinks it is hormones out of wack but am NOT so sure.,.. It's borderline torturous!

OKay, gotta go write an email telling everyone to "save the date" and then get busy on the invitations.

I LOVE CORY and can't wait to be his wife.

PS, we are still not "doing it" We are serious about saving it for when we are married. God wasn't so proud but He is happy that we've decided to finally see things His way. Jesus died for our sins and I am so glad we can make it right with Him!

Why can't I be happy alone? Why do I think I have to have a man in my life to be happy? I want to learn how to live happily alone. I am tired of thinking that I need a man in my life all the time. I want to know how people who live alone and are happy do it. I am tired of feeling lonely. I want to feel complete without having someone in my life. I want to feel that way all by myself. How do I get there? Somedays I get so depressed, I reach out to people that I know aren't good for me, because it's better than being alone. How do I get past that? How can I get to the point that I can be alone and be perfectly happy with it?