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Hi, Heidi,
Oh, I like your new pic. You’re very pretty and look very professional.Yes, Sarnia is in Canada. Its just across the border from Detroit. Doesn’t look like a lot of kayaking around there. The St Clair river is there, but the border runs in the middle of the river, so that could be not a good idea as you can easily get in trouble by accidentally crossing the border. Pretty flat around there. But there’s the lake. And I know I could get home more from there. Had a 2nd phone call today that went well but still don’t have definites.
Maybe I should look into animal communication. Didn’t know you could get certified in it.
Dwayne was writing every night. Just a couple sentences, but I didn’t hear from him last night. I have the feeling he’s talking with someone else and I’ll be surprised if I hear from him again. I am not good at keeping a man’s attention. Too bad, as he’s someone I could really be interested in.
I’ll finish packing and cleaning Sunday and head out Monday morning. Will meet one of my coworkers tomorrow. My life is still very much undefined and up in the air. I’ll feel better once I’m safely across the border and have another job solidly lined up. The function testing lead I worked with on this project wrote me a really, really good reference on LinkedIn. Really appreciated that.
Have an awesome day tomorrow,
Smiles,
RhondaHi, Heidi,
Yeah, isn’t that so interesting about communicating with animals. I didn’t know you could get certified to do it. Cool.For now I’m not able to get my citizenship. This new job in Canada will make it easy to renew my permanent residency then see when I can get citizenship. I’ll guess the same criteria will apply…. I have to physically be in Canada 3 years out of 5 years. I have another phone call with Darren, the commissioning and turnover manager, and his turnover lead, Andrew tomorrow. But last phone call with Darren, he said he thought I was a perfect fit and was talking starting as soon as my quarantine time was over, so some time in April. Ha. Just get home and leave again. Sarnia (Detroit) is probably close to 2000 miles east of Calgary. I’ll let you know how the call goes tomorrow. Excited to have work. A little disappointed its so far from home. But its only for a year and I’m guessing there will be some good kayaking near by.
Dwayne, the gentleman I’m talking with on Zoosk just seems to be solid and he says in his profile he’s a gentleman. So far the communications with him would back that up. I ask questions and share a bit about myself. Keep it to a few sentences and one or two questions. Maybe three if they’re related on the same topic. Compliments are always nice to get, even from a stranger, and I think they can break the ice and warm up a friendship if they aren’t over done. He was telling me about his work so I said I was impressed and he must be really intelligent to do that kind of work. He maintained and inspected bridges in BC for many years then he maintained and serviced a large fleet of heavy duty trucks at a couple oil and gas plants in Alberta. He’s not flashy, not outspoken, but I get kind of a warm, genuine feel from him. We’ll see.
Compliments when getting to know someone….. like I would let a gentleman know he looked really sharp on a first date. If he really impressed me as a gentleman, I’d let say something at the end like, I really appreciated how much of a gentleman you were tonight. Thank you. In my thoughts its never too early in a friendship to hand out a compliment.
Have a super day tomorrow,
Smiles,
RhondaHi, Heidi,
I’m excited, I’m excited, I’m excited. Just got an invite to apply for a job with a former project manager. Don’t know if it will be for the same position or something else, but we’ll see. Several people from that former project are on this team. That was the best project I’ve worked on and they were trying to keep as much of that team together as possible since we all worked so well together. So we’ll see. It’s in Sarnia, over across the border from Detroit. Not excited about the location, but traveling home should be a lot easier. Won’t know if it will really work out or not for a few days. I wasn’t expecting this at all as Ron (the project manager) said he thought all the positions were full and he also said something about not being able to check with the team till the 26th, so this email was a total surprise.Also hearing from a really nice gentleman on Zoosk. Seems to be genuine and a true gentleman. He also like to kayak. 🙂 and a Christian. We’ll see. Need to figure out a way to slip him some compliments without being too obvious. Dean continues to message me on FB and LOL. I said something about getting home and signing up for some of his meetup activities. He came back with a Yessssss.
Gotta go. Treadmill is calling. But just had to share that news with you.
Smiles,
RhondaThank you, Heidi,
No, Worley does not treat their employees well. They broke their contract with one of their vendors. They just do not treat people well at all, so I’m praying I can get on with Fluor. Fluor has a better reputation for how they treat people. This isn’t the worst I’ve been treated. I’ve been treated much worse than this by employees. I’ve learned to not let it bother me and just move on.I am looking forward to getting home. I’ve lost so much of me this year. Be good to get back and reconnect with who I am. Hey, I just read an extremely interesting article.
It’s on communication with animals. I think you might find it interesting. I won’t claim to talk to animals, but I certainly can understand them and can read them. I’ve lost a lot of that ability, but hope to slow down a bit and reconnect with animals and nature. There’s a whole world about energy, brain waves, that’s very real and scientific that we just don’t understand. It’s fascinating. I certainly was close enough to my horses I knew what they were feeling. My dog and cat as well. I’d like to work with a wildlife rescue and rehab place. Would be fun.
Smiles,
RhondaHi, Heidi,
If my office neighbor were to close his door I wouldn’t be able to hear anything. And it really was normal business and nothing to hide.No. I don’t think it has anything to do with me being a woman. My manager is over commissioning (not construction) in the US only. I was talking with him about a project in Canada and his comment was, “Well, maybe this situation will encourage them to give me Canada as well.” I also asked him if I could work remotely, and he said No, which isn’t true at all. One of the projects I was helping with required remote work as they didn’t want to pay the cost of someone on site. He knows I have to go home to Canada to keep my permanent residency so he doesn’t see me as being available for his projects. US and Canada employees and payroll are totally separate and operate as separate companies. ??? So since I’m going home to Canada he just let me go. He doesn’t seem to be aware of the other projects coming up in the US that will use Smart Completions. I suspect the biggest reason I was let go is I’m going home to Canada. There could be other reasons, like the self-proclaimed assistant project manager doesn’t like me. She talks down to me and I feel attacked when she comes around. She has stabbed me in the back at least once with my site boss. She’s worked my position on another project so thinks she knows everything about this position and she also brown-noses the site manager like you wouldn’t believe. Heaven only knows what lies she’s told him about me. I treat her professionally and keep my distance. Not much I can do about it except look at it as an opportunity to go on to something better. 🙂 Bridget, our global technical support lead for SmartCompletions, the database we use, will bring me back as soon as a project comes up. We should be hearing about that big project in Canada on the 29th and there should be one coming up in CA later this year that will want someone to work remotely. That project is with the same company I’ve put a lot of free time in with so they will try to get me on. I’ll contact again the people from Fluor on the Kitamat project when I get home. Plus I have that meeting with the Melaleuca trainer. So the horizon isn’t totally black. We’ll see. But for now I’m going to enjoy my trip home!
Have my trip planned. Planning on doing Phoenix to Calgary in 2 days. Its 24 hours so will be a long 2 days, but I’ve done it before. Looking forward to getting home to my mountains, a cleaner environment and a dryer climate.
Have an AWESOME day, Heidi!
Smiles,
RhondaHi, Heidi,
Yeah, I feel this whole thing was handled totally unprofessionally. Especially since I can overhear conversations with the gentleman in the office next to me and my manager has called him up and talked with him about future projects and said he’ll have something for him in a few months. I know my manager has talked with SOME of the people on the project so seems to have picked and chosen who he’s talking to.Yes, I am anxious to see what God has in store for me next. Should hear status on that big project in Canada by the 29th, so maybe I’ll know something then. I know my name went in on the proposal, so kind of anxious to see what they’re going to do.
Will be a busy next week getting everything to Goodwill and the rest packed. Plan on working a full 50 hours next week. Then I have the 2 weeks bonus pay from working the holidays, which is nice.
Thanks again, Heidi. All the positive support is really helpful right now. Appreciated.
Smiles,
RhondaThanks, Heidi,
Thank you so much for the encouragement. I have such mixed feelings. Not impressed at all with how the situation was handled and how I’m being treated. Definitely being treated differently than other employees. My manager hasn’t said Boo to me while he’s on the phone with other employees but sent the message via my site boss. My boss didn’t come talk with me. I had to ask him and then he beat around the bush and I had to read between the lines. From what I’m hearing with other employees, the manager is keeping them on till another project comes up. I’m not impressed. I refuse to focus on that, though, and choose to look at this as an opportunity to go work for a better company. I am careful not to burn bridges, because there’s till possibilities I’ll be called back to work for them and work for them is better than nothing. I also have a Zoom meeting on April 12 with the Melaleuca trainer for the Calgary area. So I do have that to fall back on.Yes, I do watch for that same gracious attitude that the two masked singer gentlemen demonstrated. That kind of graciousness (my interpretation, anyway, is it is born of confidence and a genuine positive self-image. Something I’m definitely drawn to. Four more weeks and I can beef up my social life!
Gotta go. Treadmill is waiting.
Smiles,
RhondaHi Heidi,
LOL. Oh, I’m laughing. I had to go back and read what you wrote. You said tapping , (comma) dancing. LOL. I totally missed that little comma. Hey, LOL tap dancing is a type of dancing and you did mention dancing. (big grin)You’re right. I’ve been thinking I really don’t want to work for Worley. From what I’ve seen and witnessed they treat their employees like dirt. They expect employees to put in extra hour they aren’t paid for. They don’t treat their vendors (like the companies that own the databases they use) any better. They do not have a good reputation in Canada. I haven’t heard much good about them, except all the internal news letters they put out. It feels to me like God is saying its time for a brand new chapter. I was just listening to “I just Feel Like Something Good is About to Happen.” A Bill and Gloria Gaither song. I’m kind of looking forward to see what God has in mind for me. Randy said the same thing when I told him Worley was letting me go. He said that was probably a good thing for me. Gave me a big compliment. Said I was a very talented woman and very good at what I do. He sent me several of his contacts. The vice president of Koch (Koch owns the plant we just commissioned) said he’d give me a reference out on LinkedIn. He stopped by my office yesterday and mentioned how much he and the project appreciated the database and how it helped. My direct manager also said he’d write me a reference on LinkedIn. Those references are probably more important than a resume, so we’ll see. I did hear back from the Melaleuca trainer and she said she’d be glad to help me, so hoping to get a zoom meeting set up for that fist week I’m home. So I’ll work to build that business while I’m waiting to find another job.
Totally changing the subject….. I like to watch Masked Dancer/Masked Singer. UK Masked Singer just had their finale. What struck me was how gracious the two gentlemen were who lost to Joss Stone, a female pop singer. As soon as the winner was announced the runner up was motioning the crowd to get on their feet for her. Third place gentleman was also so gracious about not winning. I really admire men like that.
Today is about 80 with 96% humidity. I did the loop around LSU Lake but only the 4 miles, not 5. That humidity really drained me. I won’t miss this place at al. Job or no job, still looking forward to getting home.
Smiles,
RhondaHi, Heidi,
Thanks for the thoughts. Usually in this business, the company would put me on another project. If Jacobs didn’t have an immediate project to put someone on, they would leave them on the payroll for a month, two months, till another project came up. Projects usually last from 6 months to 5 years and some longer, so its typical and normal to bounce from project to project, but always for the same company. EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) firms like Jacobs and Worley provide those services for companies like Exxon, Shell, other oil and gas and energy companies. So Jacobs would keep a core group of people on that they’d just move from project to project to project. If there was a gap, they’d keep them on till something came up, even if it was without pay. Jacobs believed their best resource was their employees. Worley isn’t that way. They bought out the energy and chemical sector of Jacobs and now are doing a very good job of getting rid of all the Jacobs people. Worley is all about money and does not treat their people well. So instead of keeping people on the payroll till another project come up, they simply get rid of them. Supposedly we’ll be the first to be called back when something comes up, but I wouldn’t trust them. I spent last night connecting with people on LinkedIn. Randy gave me several leads and is forwarding my resume on to the head commissioning director at Fluor with a recommendation. Fluor would be a much better company to work for than Worley so I’d like that. I also sent the Melaleuca trainer an email last night requesting a zoom meeting. We had one scheduled around Christmas time, but that was the night her internet went out. I did not hear back from her so sent her another email today. Also wrote a couple former bosses but again did not hear back from any of them. Whenever a situation like this happens, I’ve discovered its because God has the next step in my life planned. We’ll see what He has in mind.I like your idea of tap dancing. 🙂 May have to look up some lessons on youtube.
Its getting humid and hot here already. Yuck. I’ll probably go for my 5-mile loop tomorrow. Do get on the treadmill every night.
Smiles,
RhondaHi, Heidi,
Wow was I hit with a bombshell today! Yikes! So not only do I not have a project to go to when I’m done here, Worley is also terminating me and I will no longer be a Worley employee. Pretty brutal. I was expecting to stay on as an employee either on PTO or sabbatical unpaid leave. My assignment says they will pay expenses FROM the project as well. We’ll see if they actually do now that I’m being terminated. Quite a blow. Worley will hear from Bruce Power in Canada on the 28th, 2 days after I’m gone. Q3 of this year there should be more projects coming on and supposedly the plan is to re-hire employees they’ve laid off. We’ll see. They’re still trying to get me on the solar project in TX and now one of their managers in going on to a project in CA that it looks like Worley will get soon. If and when that goes through, high chances I’ll be asked to join that team. I should be able to work remotely, so that would be ok. I’ve been in this position several times before and God always has something in mind for me. So we’ll see. I’ve got to keep trusting. I’ve got to get on the treadmill then update my resume and connect with a few more people on LinkedIn and email a couple former bosses. The Fluor project in Kittimat was to have 3000 people on the project middle of this month. I’ll talk with Randy again tomorrow to see if he’s heard anything more. The position I’d be in may not be ready till July or August. I’ll also contact the Melaleuca trainer and set up a call with her. See if she can set me up with a mentor and start building that business. I’ve been in this position several times before. Not fun, but I know God will see me through.Nothing from that guy. :(.
I felt really bad. The gentleman from Edmonton had messaged me and I wrote him back but the message didn’t send. That’s twice now I responded to his message and didn’t send it till a week later. He’s a sweetheart. He messaged me right back. Do wish he were more outdoorsy. Seems like a super nice man.
How am I dealing with the depression? Gone pretty numb. Going numb is a survival technique. Also got down on my knees and prayed as soon as I got home tonight.
Gotta go. I’m going to take time on the treadmill before anything else.
Smiles,
RhondaWell, I just sent that man a message. Went with What makes you feel like you’re living life to the fullest. Hopefully he’ll answer.
Thanks, Heidi,
No, I haven’t reached out to him yet. I’ll see if I can find him again. I do like your approach. Thank you.Have no clue what Rod was thinking. Yes, its true, if I fly into Canada good chance I’d have to stay in a quarantine hotel for 3 days. But driving across, it didn’t sound like I’d have to. I learned to take what Rod said with a grain of salt. He tends to find the negative. Don’t know why he said I’d need Worley travel experts to get me across.
I’m not sleeping well so tired and fighting depression. Still nothing for work. Two weeks of quarantine will drive me up a wall. Hopefully they’ll let me go out on my deck and into my little back yard. It has a 5 foot privacy fence around it. I’d be much more excited if I had something lined up for work.
Smiles,
RhondaHi,
Feeling a bit nervous. Did some packing today. Took back the monitors I had here for working from home. Booked one night – a KOA in Grants, NM. I’m leaving town Monday morning, the 29th. Staying with a friend in Houston, Monday night. Will be nice to catch up with her again. Not sure yet where I’ll stay Tuesday night. Giving up my dream of swinging through Mesa Verde as I have a cousin in Albuquerque I want to see. She won’t be off work till 2:30 and because of distance between Houston and Albuquerque, I won’t be able to make it Tuesday so will have to wait till Wed afternoon. That won’t leave me time to go north 5 hours to Mesa Verde. Have to wait for another trip, I guess. Grants is an hour west of Albuquerque, so that will be fine. I’ll have a leisurely drive to Phoenix on Thursday. Friday I’ll start in going through stuff in the storage unit and getting it emptied. Do some hiking with the kids Saturday. Finish emptying the storage unit Sunday. Take off Monday morning and get to Sweetgrass/Couts border station Tuesday afternoon and home by Tuesday evening. That’s the plan, anyway. Still nothing for work. 🙁Feeling a bit better about the trip. Rod, a friend from Calgary, contacted me a few days ago. I met him Feb 2019. We had a couple dates and ended up riding the train together most mornings as he worked a couple blocks down the tracks from me. So I got a chance to really get to know him. To me he seemed quite pessimistic and much more negative than positive so, while he wanted a serous relationship, I didn’t. He was all negative about crossing the border, said I had to book my quarantine hotel and would need professionals from Worley to help me cross the border and get home. Of course made me nervous. Not true. I looked up the requirements for crossing the border by land. I have to have a test 72 hours before getting to the border. Then I have to have a quarantine plan in place. Easy. Go home. Order groceries by Walmart delivery or have a friend drop them off. It said nothing about having to stay in a quarantine hotel. So not as bad as he made it out to be. Can’t believe I’ll be leaving 3 weeks from tomorrow!
And its past my bed time. Have a great day tomorrow.
Smiles,
RhondaHi,
So here’s a man I’d be interested in. How would I strike up a conversation with him? Hmmm site won’t let me copy his story. He says he’s a fix it type guy who is very handy and love to do projects. Positive and very social, don’t sweat the small things in live and very easy going and love the simple things in life. H’es not rich, but loyal, host, passionate and very secure. Likes to kiss slowly, forgive quickly, laughs easily, loves tendery and embraces life for all tht it has to offer. Loves being in the mountains, lakes, looking for atraction and chemistry and one who can communicate. Doesn’t like arrogance, materialism, manipulative, self centered. Loves to garden, hike, boating, landscaping, home projects. And his little dog comes with him as a package.What’s the best way to capture his interest?
Smiles,
RhondaHi, Heidi,
Yes, I’m US citizen with Canadian permanent residency. I wanted dual citizenship, but looks like that won’t happen for a while.The way things are looking, I’ll be lucky to have something lined up before I leave. It does take a lot of faith. I keep praying every day. I’m sure God will provide something. He always does, but it would be a lot easier on me if He let me know earlier what I was supposed to do! Guess He’s working on my faith!
Just saw the stay-at-home restrictions are lifting in Ontario. Also hearing things are opening back up in Calgary and Alberta. That’s great news. I’m praying things will ease at the border in the next 3 weeks. We’ll see.
I’ll do more packing and cleaning this weekend. Get the patio cleaned up. Take a few more things down to Goodwill. Lay out my schedule and timeline of when to get things done like oil changed and tires rotated….. Can’t believe it. Three weeks from today is my last day. One of mechanical leads left today. So our team is down-sizing. Its that time with the project.
Have a super weekend.
Smiles,
Rhonda
