[Rhonda R]

Well, its’ now 1 hour and 45 minutes on hold waiting for someone to answer from Wells Fargo. The other support line someone picks up right away. So now I find out that they don’t mail checks outside the US. ??????? They close accounts because people don’t live in the US then refused to mail checks outside the US. ????? Sounds like a legalized way to steel a whole lot of money from a whole lot of people!!!!!!!! The last rep in the other department said she expedited my case and gave me a case number. That’s been over a week ago and I’ve heard nothing. I can only make a complaint on my online account now. I’ve put in there 3 times, please contact me by email as they have an option. Nothing. I checked. My son’s address is on my account so they do have a US address. I feel so helpless. Very typical, though. All through my life people have treated me like a money tree and it’s totally ok for them to help themselves to my money. There’s nothing I can do.

And their on hold has this most annoying, repetitive music and every 3 minutes this annoying voice comes on and says, We apologize for the delay. Please continue to hold and we will be with you soon. Ha! 2 hours is soon??!!!!! I think they don’t have anyone answering phones there. They just have a recorder going till people give up and hang up.

[Rhonda R]

Hi, Heidi,
Glad you’re getting in lots of mountains and have lots of dogs to dog sit. What’s it like to dog sit? I’m sure they all have their own personalities.

Wow. I do hope you get your money back soon. It’s so demoralizing when someone keeps something that’s yours and you need. Totally understand your feelings.

Well, got an email from my fjord trip in October. They’ve cancelled their trip Their last run will be Sept 30. So I need to find something else to do while I’m in Norway.

Yesterday was a total flop! I obviously did not do my homework before I planned the trip. Got into Barvaux Durbuy yesterday just after 1. No buses. LOL. I had saved the castles and sites I wanted to see to googlemaps, so went to my saved sites only to discover that the closest one was 4.6 kilometers from the train station – and no buses. I had picked out 3 places I wanted to go see, so I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I had 2.5 hours so figured if I walked quickly I could make it to the closest one, have a few minutes there and make it back in time. I got half way there and my phone lost the signal, so no maps and no directions. Came to an intersection. I thought I knew which way to go, but wasn’t sure. Then it started to rain. I was concerned about getting lost with no phone signal. Rain I knew wouldn’t last. I knew I was still about 2 k from the site. I turned around and went back. 🙁 Got to the station an hour ahead of the train. Little tiny spot with only two tiny partially enclosed shelters. Good thing I did go back, though, as I wasn’t at the station for 15 min when a thunderstorm came through and it just poured. It poured heavy rain for probably half an hour. Had I not come back I would have been soaked. I had a poncho, but it is quite light and I doubt it would have stood up to the heavy rain. So instead of seeing castles, I sat in a tiny shelter at the train station and watched it rain. Left the apartment at 6:15 and got back around 10:00 last night. The train ride from Leige to Barvaux was quite pretty. We followed a pretty little river through the hills. All hill country there with lots of woods. Each country here has its own personality. I’m learning Netherlands is affluent and advanced. Much better transportation system than Germany. Belgium the trains are running on schedule, but much older. I don’t see rundown houses in the Netherlands – anywhere. All buildings are in good repair. ALL yards are neat and trimmed and kept up. All public places in good repair. Even warehouses and loading areas are neat and organized. Train to Alexander (my station) goes by a wrecking yard and all the cars are stacked neatly. Got into Belgium and immediately started seeing broken windows, half burned buildings, rotted deck rails, trashed yards. I had over an hour layover in Leige so was going to explore the city. Decided once I got there, that wouldn’t happen. Did not look like a friendly, safe city. Did talk with some interesting people while waiting at the station in Barvaux to come back. A couple guys overheard me talking about getting to Durbuy (about 10 k from the station with no buses) and said their friends were coming with a car and offered me a ride. Very kind of them. Talked with an interesting lady on the train back. She was just coming back from a week long hike in the Alps. I also found out that if I go directly to the Belgium train site I can get weekend tickets for 8,40 EU. So I can explore Belgium now. I’ve heard Ghent and Brugge in northern Belgium are good places to go and won’t be as far as yesterday’s trip.

Found out that Holland Hydrogen, the project I’m focused on now, has someone on their team working from Calgary. Not sure why they wouldn’t let me. I will push for that if they want me to continue my contract. I’m not sure if they’ll offer to continue my contract or not with the conflict I’ve had with Bob. He may ask not to renew it and get someone else. I don’t know. But if they do offer to extend the contract, I think I will tell them only if I can work from Calgary. Others are doing it, so….

Also found out something interesting….. Lari, the construction manager at Falcon in Hungary, had asked for me to come to site and do some training. I mentioned it to Bob and he said we would have to start making arrangements. That’s the last I heard of it. Nothing happened. Lari told me last week that Bob is going to site. Lari said, I wanted you to come, but Bob is coming. Bob usually will tell me if he’s going to be going to any site, but he has said nothing at all about going to Falcon. I know he’s unhappy with the team there. He chewed me out saying he thought Lari and I had things all done and under control but we don’t. And he’s said a couple times they aren’t doing on site what was agreed on. There’s conflict on that project and I feel caught in the middle. I also know that one of Bob’s communications to one of their supervisors and myself really made the supervisor feel badly. It seems strange that Lari requested me to come, but that didn’t happen and now Bob is going but Bob has said nothing, not even Boo to me about his trip there. Doesn’t do anything to help me trust him. I’m GUESSING his main purpose to go isn’t training, but to “force” them to do what he thinks was agreed upon and to “straighten them out”. But I really don’t have a clue. But it doesn’t feel comfortable to me and made me trust Bob less than I already do. I don’t know what to think.

Had one of my better weeks last week. No one from the Falcon project (in Hungary) came into the office to work so I never got to meet anyone. Holland Hydrogen is located here in Rotterdam, so the team is in The Hauge office twice a week. Feel I have a good working relationship with people there so far so think I’ll start going in twice a week since I have people there to interact with. It’s 1.5 hours each way, so 3 hours of traveling each day, but days are getting shorter so I won’t be able to do my lake walks in the evening anyway, so might as well go in to the office. Have a good working relationship with the people at Falcon as well. Have good working relationship with everyone except Bob. Sometimes it’s ok, but just feel an underlying tension. I can’t read his mind and often don’t know what he wants and then feel attacked because I don’t get it right. He wants me more on my own for LVPAOX, a new project just starting, so maybe that will be good and go better.

And I’ve really chattered on and on this time.
Have you have a WONDERFUL day! Enjoy the mountains a little extra for me! 🙂
Smiles,
Rhonda

[Rhonda R]

Thanks, Heidi,
Yes, I will tell you all about it.

Right now I’m about to have a complete breakdown. That check from Wells Fargo never showed up. Two other pieces of mail from them did, so they have the right address, but not the check. I have made 5 calls. Sat on hold for 1.5 hours last night and been on hold now for 40 min tonight with no answer. The call last week I was transferred through 3 departments and sat on hold for half hour and got cut off. ?????!!!! I’m SOOOOOOOOO MAD! I feel so helpless. Finally called their other customer number

So more discouraging news. Talked with Rich at Dynamysk. Nothing. Another contact is no longer in a hiring position. Randy still doesn’t know anything, but talked with Bridget, our global SmartCompletions manager and she said the job he’s going to that he wants me on is requiring a local admin (in Louisiana). I know Randy will push to get me on to work remotely, but he may not succeed. So nothing on the horizon. 🙁

I did finish one short SQL certification through LinkedIn. Started another, but I also have safety training coming up here I need to study for.

Have you been out in the mountains recently? More doggy babysitting and walks?

Smiles,
Rhonda

Anyway, that’s my gripe for today.

[Rhonda R]

Back on for Burbuy. I discovered I can leave Alexander at 6:54 so I’ll need to leave the apartment by 6:15 and walk to the station. No buses at that time. I’ll get into Maastricht by 9:30 or 10:00. Round trip first class tickets Maastricht to Leige is only $19.40. I can travel to Maastricht on my NS card with unlimited weekend travel. Trains from from Leige to Durbuy every 2 hours so I wouldn’t get into Durbuy till 1:05. But I can choose to leave at 3:52 or 5:52. Look up Durbuy, Belgium on googlemaps. Pretty cool little town. Should be fun. Wanna come along? 🙂

[Rhonda R]

Well, so much for going to Durbuy. Because of connections I would only be able to be there for less than 3 hours. Get in at 13:05 and have to leave at 15:52. Actually, would probably be enough, but it would cost me $75 EU and I wouldn’t get till almost 9. Doesn’t seem worth it.

[Rhonda R]

Thank you, Heidi,
Yes, trips do give me something to look forward to and helps keep the blues away. I have a pretty aggressive travel schedule for the next 2 months.

Next week – Durbuy, Belgium – One day trip, but will be about 15 hours
Sept 17ish – Overnight to Brussels and day tour on Sunday not getting back to 10ish at night
Sept 24 – here in Rotterdam
Sept 30 – Geneva
Oct 13 – Norway
??? – trip to Germany to use train vouchers

Today was a total dud. Maintenance on the rail system and a strike by rail workers meant I didn’t get to Veluwe till 11:40. The heather, which I thought would be in full bloom, was brown and dry. A ranger said it looked better a couple weeks ago, but because of the drought, it really didn’t fully bloom. Train back ended up going clear south to Tilburg and up through Breda. Scenic route.

But anyway, I’m back. Still don’t know about my plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Still waiting to see if Dynamysk gets anything and what’s happening with the Geisemer job with Randy.

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend.

Smiles,
Rhonda

[Rhonda R]

Hi, Spyce,
Thank you. LOL. Not looking for anyone here and I’ve cancelled all my dating site subscriptions till I get home. Not interested in meeting anyone here. Very few are Christian. Netherlands is an atheist country.

But…… I did book me another trip …. to Geneva. Round trip flight is only 140 euros and that’s because I paid an extra $60 for a bag. I have a day trip to Mont Blanc in the French Alps, includes a gondola ride and a cog train ride. Booked a 1 hour cruise on the lake for Sunday as my flight doesn’t leave till 7 in the evening. 4-star hotel and they give guests tickets for free public transit while I’m there. So trip will be around $600, not including food. I just found out I have to go back to Germany. Train vouchers and refund only good for German trains. May try to get to the castle again first week of Nov. I have 3 trips in 6 weeks, so …… May also (probably) will do a day trip to Durbuy, Belgium next weekend. Be a long day (15 hours), but I think worth it. Can do that for about $75. Tomorrow going over to Veluwe. Hope the clouds go away as I want good pics of the heather.

Should finish the one SQL course Sunday. Will do some more. Still nothing for new jobs at home. I’ll contact Dynamysk next week.

Smiles,
Rhonda

[Rhonda R]

Hi, Spyce,
Thank you for your “spice”. LOL. Love it. I am thinking several things

1) Get a certification in SQL. I know of one program that takes on 14 hours and costs $36. I will research that tomorrow.

2) Applying for social security in Sept. That should give me income by late Nov and I can survive.

3) Will look for other work option this week

4) Will email Dynamysk next week

5) Staying in touch with Randy. 50/50 he’ll have something for me by Jan.

But getting SQL certification will open a LOT more doors for me. Maybe add a google certification in data management.

But I sure would love to manifest a good man into my life when I get home! 🙂

Do still occasionally hear from Joep. I’m understanding his glass of wine every night. He’s Dutch. EVERYONE over here drinks. Still not comfortable with it. But if nothing else it would be fun to spend some time with him as a friend. Still hear from Dean occasionally, but while he’s a wonderful man, not interested in more than friends. Can’t wait to get home and start socializing again! My BBQ and deck chairs are calling me. Want to get plants and flowers on my deck. And my kayaks are bugging me every day to get out again! And I really want to take Jackie out to Cutoff Creek. She’s another photographer I’ve gone out with. So looking forward to getting home!

Will look more into the trip to Hungary and found a beautiful town south of Maastricht just across the border in Belgium. Want to see if I can get to the mountains in France, too.

Will start SQL certification this week and really start figuring out how to get home by December – give myself some time for a couple more trips. 🙂

Hope you get to Italy soon. Looks like so many beautiful places there.
Smiles,
Rhonda

[Rhonda R]

Oh, P.S. I forgot to share another incident. I was emailing back and forth with the QA lead and the electrical superintendent on the Hungary project asking about testing the communication between a vendor skid and the plant DCS (distributed control system). He came back that the vendor was testing it. So I said, ok, I won’t worry about it then. Bob was cc’d on the communication. Bob comes back, “I see from the snip Tamas sent that the wiring and the testing for the link to the DCS is Worley responsibility and I expect to see wire tags and a loop tag and checks for each!” Wording isn’t exact, but he did use the words “I expect” and he used an exclamation point. For me, very forceful, attacking, accusatory message and wording. A little later I got a Teams message from Tamas (just me and him on the Teams chat) and he apologized for the confusion and mix-up. So I kind of got the feeling Tamas felt the attack and accusation as well. Poor guy. He’s a sweetheart and great to work with. I messaged him back that it was fine. I would see if I could find the tags and we would work through the issue together. But what the hey is going on with Bob?! Yikes. All I can say is GET ME OUT OF HERE QUICKLY!

[Rhonda R]

Hi, Spyce,

LOL. Ireland, Wales and France are a ways from Barcelona. Barcelona looks beautiful, though. Did you get to Italy? I’ve have places lined out in Sicily. Depends on what happens after October. And… one of the contractors on the Hungary project has invited me to spend a weekend with him and his wife and they’ll give me a tour of some places in Hungary. I’m beginning to wonder if he or his wife run a tourist business on the side. Although he hasn’t said anything about cost. Very nice on him. Debating whether to take him up on it or not.

Oh my, what a week! Seems like work keeps getting worse here. I think I’m starting to figure out what bothers me about my boss. He’s told both me and others, while discussing tasks, that if we can’t do the task that he’ll either get us help or get someone else to do it. For some reason I don’t feel appreciated, safe or secure when I hear that. This week he was telling me to set SC up a certain way because he said, “I want to FORCE them…..” Yikes! Then he’ll tell me I’ve done a good job and say thank you and a few hours later it’s “Why haven’t you done this? You told me that was done. etc.” And his tone is accusatory and I feel attacked. I’ve never had a boss go into my database and change things. He does. I’m not comfortable with that. There have been several times when I think I’m doing what he wants and a couple days later he’ll tell me he wants something totally different. I find him threatening and dominating and very difficult to understand. And then he’ll call me up and say I want your opinion on this. ????? The guy is going to drive me up a wall!

Thank you. I’m looking forward to getting home and having some time to do something with my photography. I’m still hoping for something to come through with Dynamysk. I’ll wait another week or so and email them again.

Have to find someplace to go this weekend (in the Netherlands). Then need to plan another international train trip to use my train vouchers. Maybe an overnighter to northern France or Luxembourg seems pretty. We’ll see.

Have a great weekend!
Smiles,
Rhonda

[Rhonda R]

Thank you, Spyce, always good to hear from you. Yes, I’m a little more comfortable with my finances now so figured I’d better travel while I have the opportunity. Have all my trips booked for this fall except coming home. Still hoping to come home for good in Nov. We’ll see. I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland and Norway, so check those two off. 🙂

Yeah, I just don’t know about my boss. He can be really nice, but then he can also be very bull headed and domineering and insist things get done his way even though it makes lots or problems and doesn’t make sense. I keep trying to tell myself it’s me and I have a bad attitude and a chip on my shoulder and I should appreciate the times he’s nice, but something in my gut tells me something isn’t right. Definitely a personality conflict if nothing else. He really rubs me the wrong way. Its messing with my mind as with him being so nice at times it makes me feel like its all my fault and I’m the problem, not him. I’m going crazy.

I have often thought about starting my own business, but with all the financial obligations I’ve had (I only got $300/mo child support for two boys and he didn’t help at all with high school activities or college education, or even medical expenses, plus the ex ran me in major debt and I got all the debt when we split, so I haven’t had the resources to cover during that initial start up time when I wouldn’t be making enough money. I’m hoping to have work at home soon and then I’ll start doing some casual pet photography and action photography on the side and maybe put some stuff out on Etsy. When I get on social security I should have enough to survive so can focus on building those incomes. That’s the plan, anyway. 🙂

How often do you get back to New York? Do you family there and friends?

Can’t believe I’m on the train to Switzerland tomorrow. Will be to the station over an hour early. Don’t want any surprises! The weather has been upgraded from rain to partly sunny! Yes! I’m petrified of the train ride, but excited about the trip. Will let you know how it goes when I get back.

Smiles,
Rhonda

[Rhonda R]

Ok. My Sept trip is an overnighter to Brussels. Get in around 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept 17. Day cruise to Denant and Luxembourg on Sunday the 18th. Won’t get home til midnight. But oh well. Working from home allows me to adjust my hours. 🙂

[Rhonda R]

Just wonderful. Thunderstorms and showers predicted for the whole time I’m in Switzerland! Grrrrrrr!

[Rhonda R]

P.S. Pretty safe trip. I can cancel everything except the flight till 1 week before trip. Flight is with KLM, which I may or may not book for trip home. I flew over with them. So might be able to get a little bit of credit if I need to cancel.

[Rhonda R]

Hi, Heidi,
Well, looks like no trip to Sicily in Sept. I must not have wanted to go that badly. ……. I have no clue what got into me. Sometimes I can do things totally just off the cuff and totally spontaneously…… I just booked a trip to Bergen, Norway for Oct 13-16. Expensive. Hotel almost 400 Euros, day fjord cruise to Flam and back 226 euros, taxi to/from airport, 200 euros, flight, 230 euros. Probably run me close to 1500 euros or $2000 CAD. What am I thinking!!! So no trip to Sicily. Breakfast included in hotel and food on the cruise and I’ll pack some snacks. But I’ve always wanted to go to Norway. Won’t get my northern lights tour in, that would be over $4000 CAD and I can see them in Canada. But I will get in a jford cruise and possibly some hiking in the nearby mountains. We’ll see. I’ll maybe take an overnight trip to the Ardennes in Belgium or someplace in Luxemburg in Sept. Can do that for 500 euros. Then home for Nov and Dec. Hopefully for good!

Enjoy your day!
Smiles from your crazy correspondent,
Rhonda

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