Here's the start of my live coverage for today's road trip with the PPPC to Binghamton. (Pics won't be included because the Blogger Gremlins are acting up.) This could prove interesting, because I was out sick from work yesterday and my symptoms have not abated. But I've got a prescription for what ails me and I'm medicated. I'm hoping to sleep a lot in the bus, though it does have an on-board rest room so that's one potential crisis averted.

So here's hoping for all good news today. Let's go, Phantoms, 'cause tonight, the Phan Club's coming to cheer you on! :o)

Edit: Well, as you can see, there was a problem with the live posting. I couldn't get any pics to post. GRRRR... oh, well. Hopefully the issue with posting of photos via mobile phone will be straightened out. This is two times in a row that I've run into error messages when I've tried it.

So I have an appointment in the making for 3/21 at 2 PM, to talk to that other department manager about the file clerk position.

But she thinks I'm way overqualified.

HERE WE GO AGAIN.

I'm either overqualified, underqualified, have too much of the wrong kind of experience, or not enough of the right kind of experience.

And when it's a race to get another job in the health system ASAP before I get pushed out of this one, which could happen in a month's time because of all the sh-t that's gone on behind my back, I don't feel like I have time to waste.

If the Witches of Eastwick win the race, not only will I be out of a job, but there'll be a black mark next to my name, something I've *never* had in my life. Ever. Which might preclude my getting a transfer or staying in the health system.

I've had a migraine for thr past five hours. If I don't get carsick on the bus ride home, it'll be a miracle.

P.S. Don't worry. I never, EVER have accessed my blog from the work computer, not even once. That's all I would need would be to give the vermin THAT ammunition, of this web address in my internet history. I'm posting on my lunch hour from my cell phone, which has web access.

OK, I have officially had it with the human race.

First of all, last night I got home from a Phan Club board meeting to a call from my bank, regarding my check card. I called the 800 number, only to find that law enforcement and the FBI provided the bank with a set of card numbers that'd been part of a security breach and might have been stolen. My card fit that bill, though there's been no untoward activity relatetd to it. So I ordered a new card, which should arrive in the next several days, and provided a new PIN number to go with it. Meanwhile, the bank will scrutinize any activity that comes from said card.

So that's all a bad thing in some ways, a neutral thing in other ways, and a reminder that some people are dishonest and rotten.

How nice to have that sort of reminder the night before I came in to work today, and found out that the wheels of the Coworker Spite Machine have never really stopped turning. There is an all-out campaign, by the same three people who've driven out eight previous people in my position, to ruin my name. They've apparently been going out of their way to write to my boss's boss about everything -- if I make a mistake, even a trivial one, they email her. If THEY mess something up, and there's no precise way to prove that it was one of them and not me that caused the problem, they send an email that I did it.

So far, my boss has been sticking up for me in the face of this. However, SHE is on the verge of transferring out. God only knows who'd replace her or whether they'd join in the scapegoating... or whether they'd have their own candidate that they would like to get into the health system, so creating an opening at my position would suit their needs just fine.

So I've put my name in for another position at Neighborhood Hospital, the one where our Secondary Clinic is located. It pays a few dollars an hour less but I don't care. What's the point of earning more and spending it on TUMS and blood pressure pills? I don't need this BS. I will leave the Primary Rheumatology Practice to the Gang of Three and find myself a place in the health system that's not filled with spite.

If you see this post reasonably soon after it's written, send some prayers my way. I could find out as soon as the next few days whether this will pan out. I hope it does, because I need to get the bleep away from these people. Sooner rather than later, for my health and theirs ('cause I have the temptation to throttle some of them right now, thinking about how hard they've worked to spite me behind my back, while being friendly to my face).

I really, really have the temptation to just say "People S*CK" and go home *cough cough* "sick" right now. I honestly do. But I won't. I'm not going to screw my boss over like that, since we're already shortstaffed today.

So much for doing Live Coverage of Bunco night! It turned out to be a protracted dice game, during which I was interpreting non-stop for Joe J. That made it impossible to stop and take a pic or post. It was fun, though, and I met a bunch of new Deaf and hearing people.

To my great delight, one of those people is the widow of my late and much-missed first ASL instructor, Jack M. I knew his son was one of the coordinators of Bunco night, and I'd intended to approach him after the event was over to give him my regards. But one aspect of Bunco Night was moving from table to table, and one lady at the final table we sat at indicated Jack's son on stage and identified herself as the mother of the person who coordinated Bunco Night. I was able to give both her and her son my regards for how much I had enjoyed starting to learn ASL with Jack as my instructor.

(Found in my draft copies. Publishing as is.)

Last night's event was at the Elks Lodge in Brigantine, NJ (just outside Atlantic City), but the actual event was a meeting of the Sons of Italy chapter in Brigantine. My uncle Pat, as well as my Aunt Rita and their son/my first cousin Joe, were and are strongly involved in both groups. I don't know how often it is that the two groups join forces like this. But, given the depth of the involvement that Uncle Pat, in particular, had with both groups, I can't say I'm surprised that they worked together last night in this event that honored him.

You know, I'd been aware for a long time that Uncle Pat did a tremendous amount of work for the community, and commanded a great deal of respect. But he was never the kind of person who sought personal fame or recognition for things he did.

So when my parents and Mark and I went to Brigantine to see Aunt Rita, as well as Joe and his wife Chris, the day after Uncle Pat passed away last year, and I saw that flags at every official site on the island were at half-mast, my first thought was that he must have REALLY gone out of his way to downplay the number of things he did, even moreso than I'd realized.

It turned out that Aunt Rita was at Joe and Chris's house, so we headed there. And we proceeded to partake in the planning of the funeral Mass, as well as receiving the condolences of multiple friends and acquaintances who'd heard the news and came to pay respects.

I met so many people that day, I couldn't possibly list them all. But when one of the callers was Congressman LoBiondo of NJ, I thought again how I'd never REALLY realized the depth of Uncle Pat's involvement in civic affairs. I'd always known, and could have recited back to anyone who asked, "Yes, my uncle does a lot of work for the community and is very involved in politics", but I hadn't ever *really* stopped to analyze what that meant. It just WAS, kind of like the sky just IS blue and water just IS wet.

The flags on Brigantine stayed at half-mast right through the day of the funeral. At which point, we had a police escort from Brigantine all the way to the cemetary in Mays Landing. I was able to raise my head up out of my own personal cloud of grief, just enough to understand that there was a VERY large group of people who were grieving Pat's loss in their own way, not as a family member, but as a friend and colleague.

So when I found out that the Sons of Italy lodge to which he'd belonged had decided to change its name in his honor, I wasn't surprised. There are times when people can't help but acknowledge the work that someone else has done, and they NEED to find a way to pay their respects. That, I think, is the sentiment that led them to change their charter last night.

Several people spoke, including my ccousin Joe (who is currently the president of the Sons of Italy chapter). He said that when the family had first been approached with the idea that the lodge wanted to take on Pat's name, they politely declined. He wasn't about getting individual notice, but about teamwork, and they didn't believe he'd have wanted to be singled out in this way. So of course, the person who'd proposed the idea brought it up at a meeting when Joe couldn't be on hand to preside, and the motion passed resoundingly. :o)

Congressman LoBiondo was on hand and spoke. The Mayor of Brigantine and the Exalted Ruler of the Elks also took the microphone briefly. They all made a point of emphasizing how much Pat had meant to them personally, how hard he'd worked, and how much he's missed.

Then they had the unveiling ceremony of the lodge's new banner. It was done very nicely -- the old banner was on display, and under it was the new one with the new name on it. The old banner was lifted up and folded back to reveal the new one, which was then on display for the rest of the night.

It was very nice. Then the Sons of Italy had its installation of new officers, including Joe for another two-year stint as President. his wife Chris as first VP, and my Aunt Rita as the chair of the Sunshine committee (VERY good choice, if you ask me).

They also had a catered dinner and dance afterward... The food was outstanding and I liked the music, too. It was bittersweet to know that the reason for all these things happening was that we'd lost Uncle Pat last year. On the other hand, it's gratifying to know how highly regarded he STILL is by so many people.

We had one other significant event in the family yesterday, unfortunately. I know I posted some months ago about my elderly cousin Connie, who'd been diagnosed with renal failure but refused dialysis, as is her right. She passed away yesterday morning. I'd been told on Monday that she was fading fast, and that the doctors had given her about four more days. They were right. :o( Funeral arrangements are still pending, but I hope there's something at night so we can go.

Sigh. It's not easy to reconcile with the fact that the people who have Always Been There throughout my life are not always going to CONTINUE to be there. :o( I hope they're looking down and smiling when they see us, as we keep on keeping on.

Blogger's mobile feature had Gremlins tonight, so I couldn't post photos during the event. I'm about to find out if it's accepting text only posts, when I attempt to send this post as we head home on the AC expressway.

I'll post photos when I get home. It was a great night that honored a very deserving person, is what I'll say for now.

We're about to arrive in Brigantine for a ceremony to honor my late Uncle Pat. He was very involved with the Sons of Italy and the Elks. Now, a year after his passing, there's a ceremony at the Elks lodge, as the Sons of Italy lodge is changing its name to the Pat Campitelli lodge. I'll see if I can do some decent Live Coverage of the proceedings, for the family members who can't be there.