Here a job, there a job, everywhere a job

Today was the last interview in a short time. 

Job 1 - interviewed 13th -  Maryland - asked yesterday for my references to be sent to them. They have been sent. This means I’m closer to the to being a finalist for that job. Not sure that’s good as it’s not a great location for being closer to family BUT it’s stateside and it’s a GS13 so it would be a huge step forward towards retirement. It’s also in the DC pay range. DC is 30% locality. It’s 15% for the rest of the states. Sooo that’s nothing to sneeze at. So about $13,000 more a year adding to the retirement plan. Soooo tempting. It’s about a 30-45 minute commute to Annapolis - meaning we could get Butchs dream boat and live in it. 

Job 2 - interviewed 16th - SCOO (Warner Robins) - I won’t hear results for a few weeks. So it’s seriously an unknown. 

Job 3 - interviewed today - SWEG (Warner Robins) - I just finished the interview today and they are making their choice today -. SO we shall see how that one goes in roughly a week on my side. Takes a while for the decision to trickle down. 

6 Month checkup @ 4 years, job interviews and life

Well, it's that time of year again... 4 year checkup.

I'm still convinced that the checkups that are occurring are NOT what I need.  I'll get into the why in a bit, but I'm always shocked that I can be stoic that nothing is wrong for MONTHS and all it takes is these damn checkups to send me into depression and freaking out. Sigh.  Why?  Who on earth knows. 

I do know that when you didn’t note or know of anything that was going wrong in your body when you HAD cancer, you question every single tweak and twinge you have from that point forward…. And it sucks.

So – part of why I don’t think this is over is because I’m back to having hot flashes like I was before I found out I had cancer… I simply thought “well, I’m 50, this is it, this is menopause.”  Surprise, it was NOT!  I had blood work later on that indicated that, nope, I was not in menopause and those hot flashes was my body freaking out.  So… am I in menopause now?  Here’s hoping. 

Let’s back up to the beginning of this story, on the 4^th I noted something wasn’t quite right in the nethers and knew I had an appointment with the oncologist very soon after getting back home, so asked him when I was in his office about who I should see.  He recommended a gynecologist office and I went to see them a week to the day after seeing the oncologist.  The agreement was if they didn’t know what it was at the gynecologist I would be back to him for further investigations.  The good news is they know what it is, the bad news is what all doctors say here: I would just let it be.

Really they are a community of non-intervention.  Sometimes that is great, sometimes that just freaks the rest of us out – see the comment of not thinking that my visits now are effective.  Part of me thinks that I should trust them on the facts, part of me doesn’t really trust anyone anymore!

So the bottom line of my exams that happen with Oncology – they do an ultrasound of my abdomen.  They can NOT see my whole liver because 1) its fatty and 2) its LARGE – mostly because I’m large.  So they never really get a good picture of the back of it, nor the internal portions of it due to the issues listed above.  I’m more apt to really think there isn’t anything in there because my liver enzymes are in a good range, so really, I don’t know that there is anything there.  I DO have problems that they are no longer looking at my lungs at all.  There were nodules in the past I don’t know if those nodules were stable, or if they were the same nodules or if there are different nodules.  When I ask they say they are nothing to be concerned about…. Yeah, says YOU.  Sigh… I know, I know I should trust them to know their business.  BUT fast forward to rattles when I’m laying down at night and in the morning that are unexplained and I have gone to a normal doc who listened and didn’t hear anything and said “ah, it’s nothing”.  They do not want to expose me to x-rays anymore.  Well, then do an MRI dorks.  They don’t do those here often, so it’s not something they will order unless there are HUGE flashing red lights..  So… this with the combination of my newly returned hot flashes have me concerned.  I started with the simple blood draw.  Am I in menopause?

Oh, yeah, when the oncologist asked if I have night sweats, they will ONLY look at you hard if you are sweating through clothing and wetting sheets.  Well, hell I didn’t do that when I had cancer the last time in it’s full glory.  I was having hot flashes like I have now where I’m in and out of bedding all night and sweating and sleeping with windows open in 50 - 60 degree weather.  This is either the return or its menopause.  Good news is I’m forcing them to look at it.

Better news is when I get back to the states it’s time for my colonoscopy AND I will have a head to toe exam and have them do a full CT panel to make sure that all is well inside… but will I trust it even then?  Hard to know… but I’ll let you know.  I told the doc here it sucks when you had cancer without what you would have considered symptoms so now anything changes and you question if it’s cancer or not… sucks, and it’s not going away apparently.

Sigh.  In other news I have had two interviews in the last week or so.  One in Maryland the week of the 4^th (can’t remember the exact date – maybe the 7^th?) and one on the 16^th.   I should know about the Maryland one in two weeks and the one on the 16^th in about 4 weeks.  AND I have another on the 20^th as well… so things are looking up on the interview process.  I heard that only 12 interviewed for the one Friday.  Not sure who interviewed, but we shall see… it’s really not one I want, but I’ll still be sad if I’m not even looked at twice.  I really hope the interview on the 20^th is my “shoo-in” job as it’s where I worked right before I came here and one that I would be returning to regardless… not that specific job, but in that area… so here’s hoping!  I get my hopes up on these jobs and then don’t get them and it makes me sad and feeling incompetent… so we’ll see where this leads in the long run.

4th of July in Venice

 I decided we should spend a LONG weekend in Venice as things are starting to open up.  I chose weird flights that went through Madrid rather than sort of direct. The options were train to Frankfurt with a flight or flights only.  I like the option of flights - not sure why I'm so anti train, but I think I need to change my ways if there isn't more direct flights to take.

So, we flew through Madrid - delt with the extra forms and issues that come with flying through another country to get to the final destination - the good news is that going wasn't too bad other than the confusion of what forms were really required to go/come/go through other countries.  We were shoved paperwork that we dutifully filled out and didn't really turn in anywhere.

So, here we go!

We arrived in Venice and choset to travel to the hotel via the transfer bus.  It worked out well for us.  We missed the first bus, but only had to wait for 20 minutes.  No biggie and it was a very short walk from the far side of the train station to our hotel just to the other side of the same train station :)

Not a far walk and we're right on the Grand Canal!

Entering the room....

The living room actually as seen from the bedroom... the entry is right at the end of the lovely pink sofa.  The bath is in the door straight ahead.

The bedroom - do you think that is enough toile?  Pink toile at that!!  LOTS Of pink and lots of toile!!

OUR VIEW!  This is the view from the living room ... the hotel across the canal had a wedding the first night - there are video's of it on my facebook account.  So the only downside to this view is that it is east facing - so it's HOT as blazes in the morning.  The GREAT news about this room is there is A/C.  Yes, it was HOT while we were there... but what's weird is it was only 84 at the highest, but without A/C in lots of places and the amount of concrete and marble, this place really holds the heat and the humidity as it's on water is through the roof.  It would cool down over the night.  The other thing we discovered being on the grand canal was the noise factor.  Now it's not awful, but it is busy and starts to ramp up at 5am with construction and work boats making their way around the city.  Being where we were too, the construction pickup area for materials is at this end of the canal... so you get ALL the construction traffic here.  I do NOT regret getting a canal view, I don't regret spending the money on a grand canal view... but I think I would either 1) go further down the canal for less traffic or 2) go to an inner canal to have the cute views but with less traffic. 

Another observance is that there was a LOT less crowding and people at the train station.  In the past in July there would be tons of people in the square - there weren't.  We didn't got to St. Marks square at all so we don't know how that area would compare to non Covid times - I know, sacrilege not going to St. Marks Square, right? 

Dinner the first night we chose to repeat a restaurant we visited on one of our first visits to Venice. 

It's right next to the hotel.  It was a great place to eat with the wedding occuring right across the water.  There was music and ambiance galore!

The next day I had planned a walking tour - during the heat of the day... but it was well worth it - it was a historical tour, so we could see and hear about some of the history of venice.   Here are some of the photos I took while on this tour.

We had some lunch near Rialto in an alley of all places.  it turned out to be a decent meal.  I don't really remember what we had, but it was nice to sit in the shade and enjoy a glass of wine and some food and relax for a bit.  It was really steamy and we sweat and WALKED a LOT on this trip.

As we were tired from walking some 2 miles or more at this point and it was at the heat of the day, we opted to take a water bus back to the hotel for a break.  Really it's for a nap - gawd we are old!

As we took the bus back to the hotel. I snapped a picture of our hotel.  It starts at the corner and goes all the way past the 2nd pink area.  OUR room is the last pink section.

THIS is our section of the hotel.  We are on the 2nd (3rd in the states) floor with the balcony.  The weird thing is that the bathroom that we have is the TINY section in white with the double windows.  Those are the windows over the toilet and bidet area.  This explains the very short ceiling in bathroom... there isn't a raised roof over that area... strange, eh?  Anyway - the two balconies are from left to right living room, then bedroom.  so, quite a large set of rooms.

As we are still in a walking kick and too silly to just take water buses just yet, we walked to Rialto for dinner.  Here are some shots as we walked through the center area of the island.

I'm so in love with the new BRIGHT styles of glasses... so much so that some actually talked to me and I bought them :)

Our view for dinner.  Sadly I had to be a bit whiney to get it.  They wanted us to sit at the side without a view and I was telling Butch this is NOT what I wanted and I wanted to move to a new restaurant if they couldn't let us be on the water... as that is the ONLY reason we walk all over looking for places to eat!!  The waiter finally took pitty on me and moved us to the front of the restaurant so we could have a view while we ate.

                      

The picture I'm tempted to share only - like I'm not even there... but the reality of me being present. 

But the view... the view was lovely!!!

And our views and pictures on the walk home as well ... ah... this is Italy.

Sunday we headed to Murano so I could get some Christmas ornaments... which I did get... but Butch also got something too... meet his new friend.

This thing is HUGE.  It's about 18" tall and probably 15lbs.  He had is shipped back to the states for Liz to be it's caretaker until we get home - it's probably safer that way anyway that it be insured in shipping back there... they also tossed in the ornaments for free once he bought this as well - so bonus for me!!

The Art studio we purchased from: Mazzega Glass Factory

Dinner on Sunday was back to Rialto but this time to look at some of the shops and then go to the restaurants with a view of the bridge.

And then the rain started.... to the point that we were moved off the water front tables because it got gusty and the wind was driven into the awning area as well as dripping directly over the electrical areas.  I was laughing about the rain and the wind.. it wasn't horrible.  Really - but then it got a bit out of hand and we were moved to the building area... we sat and watched people run to and from the area soaking wet.

And because we see faces everywhere... the cameras had ears that made them look like pandas 

So very cute!!

Here are the glasses that I fell in love with.  LOVE all the bright colors and flame look on the water glasses - the smaller are shot glasses and are so very pretty!

And with that, we're back in cold Germay with highs in the mid 60's and rainy.  Part of me is happy to see the cooler temps, but a part of me is sad to be out of the warmth.

Finance update

Well. Come to find out the whole debt vs. cola issue seems to make the whole thing a wash. We MAY come out a thousand ahead. But it’s hard to know. I’m still waiting on a new debt letter from DFAS (pay system). The good news is that the back COLA was pretty quick. They have already started taking money out on my pay to cover the debt. It’s all a hot mess still. I would like to just pay it all off at once and be done. 

So small silver lining on this whole mess. 

Stuttgart to Venice

Trip to Venice the great debate on transportation to the destination:

There are LOTs of options to get to Venice.  Driving is 7 hours according to google maps and would take one of two vignettes to purchase - neither are expensive, but then there is gas.  We can get gas in Germany for "american" prices ($2.85/gallon) but once we leave Germany we don't have gas cards in any other country.  Gas is expensive.  PLUS the exhaustion factor.  7 hours on paper is NEVER 7 hours... We have found that out with construction and other things add 2 hours to the travel.  I found an app that calculates the cost (htps://www.trippy.com)  - going through Switzerland it's 125 euro (including gas) through Austria it's between 89 and 97 Euro to get there. PLUS parking for a car once you get there ($40 minimum) and we won't use the while in Venice... PLUS wear and tear on the car that just hit 100,000 miles...  

The exhaustion factor from driving turns me off.  We drove the "6 hours" to Berlin - then we didn't really drive the car while we were in town, but had to pay parking, etc - we took public transport in town (or walked) as it was easier.  Those 6 hours turned out to be more like 8 or 9 with stops for gas and trying to find food and other things, Germany (most of Europe) is not really designed for road travel like it is in the states.  Most food items are off the autobahns and those on the autobahn are truck stops.   I told Butch "next time we train"...   

So, the train was investigated - I can book a train ONLY at the train station.  The cost for 1st class  (required now) was roughly 500 for both of us BUT I had to go to the train station and fight to get someone who speaks english or could figure out what my bad German is saying to get a ticket.  Again, the comfort factor was there but it was an ALL DAY endeavor. The fastest we found was 10 hours of travel - NOW granted it would be very scenic on the travel and I would have figured out how to go back a different way but the cost was what got me, 

Air travel came in at $500 for both (US not euro - another factor when you look at 500 Euro, that's more like $600 with conversion rates).

So it came down to what we have more of... since train and plane were about the same cost in the end, it wasn't worth it for us to spend ALL DAY on trains and transfers 2 plus transfers for train.  We'll still have ONE transfer in Madrid, Spain with the flight however it's faster in the long run.  We leave at noon - have lunch in Madrid (1.5 hour layover), get to venice at 6:30pm - catch a water bus to the hotel, settle in, have a late dinner on the canal and start the vacation relaxed 

 
NOW prior to covid when all of the low cost flights were available we could have pulled this off for $100 round trip and DIRECT for the flight... dang COVID - all direct flights are pretty well shut down (they are starting back up in ... drum roll... JULY).  There are a few direct flights through Frankfurt BUT they were slightly more expensive, and thanks to covid there are no flights from Stuttgart to Frankfurt, it's a train... I know, I know, I should be more open to train travel... I guess it's more what I'm familiar with and it will save more in the long run in time according to my info - AND it was a mid day departure with an early evening arrival - all the trains were 8pm or later... I'm getting old and want to settle in long before that :)  

SO HOTEL debates came in... this is the hotle that Suz and I stayed at in the 90s (these pictures are from Booking.com).  I don't have the photos' from the 90's in my computer or I would share those as well.  THEN LIz and I stayed there again when we went through in 2013.  yep, same room I do believe!!

But booking for a non-budget stay/flight/transport husband vs. what I have done all my life was hard... I looked at lots of hotels, I put them in favorites, I debated locations, I debated amenities.  It was horrible.  I haven't spent a lot on hotel rooms in the recent past.  I select the hotel for a view over all - give me a decent hotel with a view in a good price.  The issue with Venice is rooms with a view are pricey and it's JULY - there is the potential for it to be miserably hot, so A/C would be a great thing to have... so there was that.  I kept coming back to this hotel over and over... then discovered someone in our office had stayed there and loved it.  OK, that sold it.  I'll go THERE.  Keep in mind that although we have been to Venice a LOT, it was when we lived close enough to go on our own and see the sights without having to figure out a hotel.  This is literally the ONLY hotel I have stayed at in Venice, so my system is in for a shock, isn't it??  LOL!!  

Onward to photos so you can see what we experienced over time

Honestly I don't think the decor changed AT ALL in the years between when this picture was taken than from when Liz and I went.  The plants are larger and a bit more overgrown, but it's the SAME look and feel for this hotel.  

The following pictures are from Liz's trip to Venice in 2012  Liz and I repeated that visit on our trip.  She asked if we were going to stay there when Butch and I went - OMG, I laughed soooo hard.  I can NOT fathom Butch staying in that hotel. This hotel will remain the budget hotel of adventure times with girls and hopefully the girls will repeat that hotel sometime in their not so distant future.

The exterior remains unchanged.  I should have taken pictures of the actual ROOM decor as it was dang close to what it was in the original photos!!

THIS will be the hotel this trip.  Yes, I did get the canal view room.  Yes, we will be living large on this trip.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/principe.de.html

So the anticipation is building... it's only a few days away - time to now figure out how to get our medical cards all worked out.  I have three days to get that sorted.