VENTING

I have never been one to doubt myself. As a matter of fact, those of you know me, know that I am a pretty confident person who makes informed decisions. I am rarely emotional (rare for a woman, I know), and while I take my gut instinct seriously, I don't heavily rely it. I suppose you could say that I use that instinct as more of the "icing on the cake" to solidify an opinion, judgment, or decision.

I am a very well-rounded person. I have been fortunate enough to travel the world and experience many cultures when I was young. I grew up in a military family, and didn't stop traveling until my Father opted for an early retirement in the mid 90's.

I (at the time) was an only child, and because of the military background of my family, a lot was expected of me. I learned what it meant to be responsible at a very early age. Yes, I was a bit spoiled, but again I mention being an only child...what else were my parents going to do with me? With the privileges I received, there were certain expectations. "To whom much is given, much is expected." I began babysitting when I was ten years old...Today, you can pretty much guarantee that I wouldn't let a ten-year old near my child unsupervised for ANY length of time! I was a Girl Scout and was Certified in CPR and First Aid, not to mention the numerous babysitting classes/courses I attended and was certified in. I had more than just a basic understanding of Right and Wrong, and was extremely trustworthy.

Since my Senior year in High School, I have had many different jobs that enabled me to discover new things about myself and aid in the confidence I have.
When I was in Co-Op, I worked for a doctor at a Pain Management Clinic. I started out as his assistant working with patients who were injured by automobile accidents, slip and falls (before they were "too common"), and later began doing all of the marketing for his practice. I dealt with pretty much all of the PI (Personal Injury) attorneys in the Greater Houston Area on a regular basis, was responsible for the expansion of his clinic, and ultimately a shift in his scope of practice that has been quite lucrative for him.
I also was a receptionist, photographer, and pre-school teacher. I volunteered in my community working with children and the elderly, and eventually developed my own program, Luggage for Kids, where I partnered with CPS (Child Protective Services) to provide gently used (or new) pieces of luggage to children who were in foster care. I developed this program when my younger sister was adopted. LFK was later adopted by the San Jacinto Girls Scouts.

After I met my husband, I "kept my resume up", but for the most part I stayed at home. After the birth of our son, I stayed at home until he was about four months old. My Aunt and her husband run another clinic (how I landed my H.S. job...), and her transcriptionist was on Maternity Leave. I was feeling a bit cagey, so I agreed to work for her part-time. My husband and I hired a private Nanny that would come to our house to care for Jackson after my Grandmother could not longer look after him. When he was around 18 months old we enrolled him in a Montessori School to aid in his socialization. I didn't particularly care for transcription work, but I did it until the other employee returned. After that, I began doing the collections for the clinics, and was quite good at what I did! I felt like I had finally found work that I enjoyed! I mostly worked with insurance companies and attorneys. Occasionally, I would have to work with the patients that had "fallen behind" in their payments. I trained at collection seminars and learned about different statutes of limitations (that I have used in "real life" as well!). I used to have to file cases in the small claims court against private-pay patients in our final attempt to collect payment. I am very happy to say that of all the cases I brought to the judge, I never lost a case! I would have to file grievances with the State Bar against attorneys that would not comply with providing information regarding case status or payment in full...one attorney came very close to losing his license to practice law! Some insurance companies, mostly for Worker's Comp, would not pay because they didn't feel that rehab for a patient that literally in some cases could not walk was necessary! So round and round we went every 45 day like clock work! They would soon tire of my relentlessness, and would eventually pay for either a portion or all of the treatment the patient received.

I went back to school for a Business Degree, and later opened my own business! Well, I was the creative force behind one, Gulf Coast Business Solutions, that was born from my work in collections. The other was Custom Crown Cases, a business that started out as a hobby but quickly turned profitable! I have been in business since 2005.

In July of 2007, I was offered a position at a pipeline engineering company that serves the oil and gas industry. I have been here for one year, and really enjoy the company and the people I work with. I get great benefits, paid time off, vacation pay, 401-k...and because I am working outside of our home, our son is able to attend (another) private Montessori School that has been phenomenal in teaching Jackson things that he most likely would not learn until the 1st grade! (Did I mention that our son is four?!) He's learning how to read and write, he knows about space, presidents, the continents, plants and what it takes for them to grow (and not just soil, water, and sunlight...I mean he knows about chlorophyll and the different parts of the plant itself!), skip counting, and way more than I could possibly begin to list here! I'm not being a braggart when I say that he is incredibly intelligent for his age, it's the truth, and being biased has very little to do with it!

So, in getting to my "Vent"...someone at my job actually had the nerve to tell me that "(I) was more astute that (she) gave (me) credit for". CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?! She even seemed a little surprised by "intelligence". Okay, first of all....you don't say that to people....and certainly not out loud even if that is what you think; and second....did she really think that after a year of working with me...talking to me nearly every day that I am just some airhead who need to follow a trail of bread crumbs to get to places?!!? I mean really! How rude can you get?!

My husband said that perhaps she was the one who was not as astute as she thought!

That made me smile.