Big Wheels and The Hawthorne Girls

I've been thinking it over
So many times they say you've got it made
They never understand
The answer lies within your soul
And no one knows which side the coin will fall

Big Wheels turning
Baby I know
Big Wheels turning
Baby I know
Big Wheels turning, turning

Save it for a rainy day
For when the cold wind blows just to see how they run
I thought they'd know
I tried my best, all I could do
But somehow it was not enough for you

Big Wheels turning
Baby I know
Big Wheels turning
Baby I know
Big Wheels turning, turning

I remember the dead of night
A lonely light that shines upon the window
I see it all so clear
The tenderness, the silent tears

Out here in the pouring rain
Through cold dark waiting days I see you standing there
I see the Big Wheels turning
Never ending, on and on they go

I think I'm going home
I think I'm gonna have to start again
It's rather sad
Because I've looked around, can't seem to find
Whatever's always rolling through my mind

Big Wheels turning
Baby I know
Big Wheels turning
Baby I know
Big Wheels turning, turning

Jeff Lynne - Electric Light Orchestra
BTW - stole this idea from Greg (http://techweenie.wordpress.com/)

So I realize it's been over a year since the last blog, and I apologize for that. Alot was going on and I was working alot. Much has happened since last July and I won't try and catch you up on everything, but I will have to mention a few things.

My brother, John Charles Pearson, passed away last fall. He will be terribly missed. One of my favorite memories of John is him coming out to the farm on Sunday mornings for coffee with mom and I. He would come no matter what the weather. Actually, in the winter, the worse the weather, the earlier he would arrive! He loved 4-wheeling out there. So he would get me and Mom to play 3-handed pepper, or on occasion he would take us the bar at around noon. He'd say, "Let me show you how to get 3 beers for the price of one." He would spot a co-worker or pal at the bar and then have the bartender buy him a beer with our round. Then the guys would reminisce or pal-it-up (whatever that thing is that guys do comparitive to girls checking out the hair and the shoes). Then the pal would send us a round next time! It was hilarious. In any case, it was a weird time for the family but he is at least without pain and suffering now.

Christmas was hard but I was surrounded by friends and family so it was still good and despite the harsh winter it is still my favorite time of year.

I was still working at Wells Fargo in January, and we hired a couple more database analysts to work on the rest of the project. Mary Jo is just one of my favorite people now and I am thankful that I met her there.

Wells Fargo was a fun place to work because I fell in love with the girls I worked with. So in a sort of "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" fashion, I have amassed a posse of the best girls around.

Besides Mary Jo, there was of course, Amie (my confidante), Lindsey (a real firecracker), Rachel G (nerd with sense of humor - like me), Erica (now works for the Iowa Democratic Party - go Barak!), and Julie (my hippie counterpart). The cool thing is that even though we have all departed from that workplace we still keep in touch and actually just got together in Des Moines for drinks to celebrate MJ's new job and the letting go of our old boss there (who shall remain nameless - as he should). We have a bond that goes beyond work so I know we will all remain friends. Eric came along to the last gathering and said he has never seen such sniping women so full of piss and vinegar and yet having the time of their lives. That's us!! Eric thinks someone should turn this into a screenplay for our very own movie or TV show. Eric's working title is "The Hawthorne Girls." Every week it could just some bitch getting a drink thrown in her face by one of the girls and then them calling her a name.

So because I don't have permission to post any photographs of my girls, here are the actresses that I have chosen to play them in the movie:


Amie (played by Rebecca Mader)


Rachel G (played by America Ferrera)


Julie (played by Marilu Henner)


Mary Jo (played by Mary McDonnell)


Erica (played by Aimee Teegarten)


Lindsey (played by Odette Yustman)


And of course ME - played by the Divine Miss M!



So as I said we are all departed from Wells Fargo. I left because in May I got a call from Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance and they wanted to interview me. So I went and it turns out I was just what they were looking for. They offered me a job as a Business Analyst for the Oasis Policy System and I accepted. I started there May 15th (I think).

I really love the job I have there. All the people in my department are nice, and they support one another (unlike OTHER workplaces I will not mention.. but you know who they are). Besides having Shannon as my awesome boss, and Betsy and Marcy as my team members, we have a cafeteria there! So if you forget to bring your lunch (or you just don't want that boloney samwich you brought) you can have salad bar or pizza or whatever the special is! It's totally cool! We also just had a team appreciation picnic where they furnished sub sandwiches, chips and sodas! It's such a cool place to work. I am very lucky (or just extremely skilled).

I have been consistently losing weight still. I am down to 207 now and am in a size 18 or 1X. It's so different being able to just go to a store and buy sn Iowa State t-shirt without having to order it online! A new thing that my sis Anita started is going to the Goodwill store. They have really good clothes there - certainly they are used, but many things are hardly worn or new with tags still - but you can get clothes that fit for $3.69 a piece! It's my new favorite store!

I want to tell you all about the summer, but I think that will have to be another blog entry. I just wanted to catch you up on a few things. Tune in next time for "Summertime Blues" and "I Am, ... Ziggy" coming soon!