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[personal profile] dragonfare
I ought to tell y'all that my office gave me a very nice ice cream social last Wednesday. It was perfect for me - no speeches (whew), no formality. I got to hug a lot of people. A lot of people came! I got good presents, too. From the office, I got a Kindle (so I can give my old one to Randi, which delights her), a $350 gift certificate from my faculty (already spent - I got a Tomtom GPS and some anime that I couldn't afford before), a $50 Visa card from Tammy in the clinical trials office, $50 from my old and bestest boss Deb, a wacky watch from Dr. Carroll (which came with an equally wacky speech beginning with "Dr. Podolsky [UTSW president] sends his regrets"), a $25 gift certificate to Best Buy from Nishank (one of the fellows), and lots of cards. There was a huge poster that was signed by everyone.

But for all my pleasure in the gifts, more than anything else, the party pointed out to me how much I'll miss the people I worked with, and how many people I affected with my work. Everyone told me how much they'll miss me, but several (including Nishank, Tammy, and Drs. Van Buren, Lu, and Vazquez) made a point of telling me at length how much I helped them and how much they valued me. Wow.

On the down side, I'm realizing that I will have to find part time work until the end of the year, or I'll have no reserves for emergencies. Darn.At least I won't have that long, hideous commute. Today it was cold and wet, and instead of spending much of the morning shivering at bus stops and train stations, I spent it sleeping.

You know, it still hasn't really sunk in, although every once in a while it hits me and I do an impromptu happy dance.

Oh yeah. The Super Bowl sucked. At least for Denver fans (or, as in my case, Peyton Manning fans).

Date: Feb. 4th, 2014 03:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] coastal-spirit.livejournal.com
It sounds like a lovely party, and lovely gifts. You certainly deserve it. And it's wonderful to know that you, and your work, have been appreciated.

What anime did you get? You knew I'd ask. :)

Do you have any idea of what type of part-time work you would like to do?

Date: Feb. 4th, 2014 11:05 pm (UTC)
ext_154627: (Default)
From: [identity profile] dragonfare.livejournal.com
I got Nodame Cantible (although I had to get that one from Malaysia), Eyeshield 21, and Mushishi. A proud day in my life came when I could say that last one with my new teeth in, without lisping!

I don't care what kind of work I do, as long as it's not physically demanding. Naturally I'd love to do what I was doing at UTSW - graphics, word processing, ordering, etc. But I won't be picky. I won't even be picky about the time. If I have to get up early, well, I can only work 20 hours/week, so I can deal with it. Walmart will be the LAST resort, as they love to take crippled-up people and make them stand on their feet for hours, or stock shelves. I need a sit-down-office-type job. You know, I just checked, and there are 7 employment agencies in Greenville. Not what I expected!

Date: Feb. 4th, 2014 04:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] coastal-spirit.livejournal.com
Also, I'm not planning on sending you any long emails until you contact me and/or get settled, but what is the best email to contact you if I need a quick reply? If you don't want to put it here, send it to either my gmail or my yahoo address. :)

Date: Feb. 4th, 2014 11:06 pm (UTC)
ext_154627: (Default)
From: [identity profile] dragonfare.livejournal.com
If you are ready for long emails, I'll check the usual one every day. Just for you. Howzat?

Date: Feb. 5th, 2014 07:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] webmyrcury.livejournal.com
Happy Retirement!! Yaaay you made it! :D I'm really happy for you, Kat! And it's especially good to know that you were so highly thought of and treated well at your party by your coworkers. Congrats congrats! :)

Date: Feb. 19th, 2014 10:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] starwefter.livejournal.com
You survived, and now win the internet!

Gah, I haven't been here in forever. Not dead, just swallowed up by role play. I miss LJ, I need to get back here more often, I miss people I knew here.

Congrats! *Throws confetti!!*

Date: Feb. 23rd, 2014 05:24 am (UTC)
ext_154627: (Default)
From: [identity profile] dragonfare.livejournal.com
Glad to see you!