End of February

With a war that erupted not too far from Turkey, I am expecting more economic turbulence. I made my calculations and updated my Net Worth (only liquid assets) today and closed the books on February.

I decided to purchase some more Euros since, I am already heavily invested in USD.  

All my income and expenses are in Turkish Liras. 

Now my Liquid Net Worth consists of:

TL 15%

USD 63%

Euros 8%

Gold 14% (physical cold coins)

I doubled the amount of Euros I have but, that is still the smallest portion of my basket. 

I have been pressuring my SIS and BIL to have a more balanced basket of savings because theirs was too heavy on Turkish Liras. Finally, today, they pulled the trigger and what they have now looks like this:

TL 18%

USD 38%

Euros 17%

Gold 27% (physical cold coins)

You may find this a lot different than what you invest in. I know there are lots of other instruments out there but, unfortunately, I do not trust those in this country. Stock Market is easily manipulated over here due to it's shallow nature. There are funds offered by several institutions but, again I've got trust issues. I invest in some funds and they are included in my TL portfolio but, the fund ratio in that portfolio is very small. 

In a turbulent area where there can be civil unrest, war, refugees and etc. gold is always the king and that is why we always include it in our baskets. Local currency is very weak and hard currencies provide stability and help preservation of purchasing power.

As for other end of month subjects: I ate a lot during the last few weeks out of my freezer and claimed  tons of space. I am almost out of all meat with the exception of a steak and a serving of fish. I am planning a grocery run tomorrow. Need to make a list and stick to it.

I am planning to do the following tomorrow:

- Pack and ship two sets of documents

- Grocery shopping

- Returning an item to Decathlon 

Gas prices have never been this outrageous so, I plan my outings very carefully these days.

I hope this Russian occupation of Ukraine ends soon. People over there are getting killed for no reason, their lives are interrupted and they live in fear over there. It is also affecting gas prices, wheat prices and everything else as if, we did not have enough economic issues. 

Feel Good Friday

This post was meant for yesterday but, I wasn't able to finish.

I completed my balcony project and got rid of some stuff. Who needs two dust pans in a small apartment? I also fished out tons of bubble wrap. I am sure mom had saved them. They were neatly packed together. I will use most of that to pack and put away my picture frames, knick knacks on display. Thanks Mom!

I need to miss those things and want a fresher and less cluttered look for a while.

I feel lighter today. This cleaning and purging has a positive effect on my mood so, I will keep going with other parts of my home.

I have tons of CDs and a CD player that I do not use anymore. I do not know what to do with them. Spotify changed everything. Didn't it? I want to give them to someone who can actually use it. May be I should post them on FB Marketplace for a small amount of money and depending on who wants them, I may gift them for free. Like a college student may be? Any ideas dear blogosphere friends?

Today after I tidy up and deal with putting the laundry away, I will bake a carrot cake for the first time in my life. I have lots of carrots and walnuts on hand that I must use up soon. Need to go hunt for a simple yet highly praised recipe online. 

Hope, everyone is having a good weekend!

Change of Perspective

I have a small balcony outside my kitchen. There are glass panels which you can push aside to use it as an open balcony. Lately, it had been cluttered and was getting on my nerves. I cannot say I liked it very much even when it was organized. Many people eat at their tables in their balconies (on their balconies? Which preposition?) during warm months but, that never has been my thing except when mom was visiting. She loved the balcony and the hydrangeas right in front of it. The hydrangeas do not bloom every year. They are kind of moody.

The other day, I have realized that, due to not being thoroughly cleaned in more than two years (no cleaning lady remember?), there was a build up of some black matter on the walls, ceiling and on the floor behind the plastic cabinet where I store cleaning gadgets, supplies and my tool box. I suspected it could be mold or just a build-up of air pollution. Istanbul is very humid so, I decided to err on the side of caution and treat those surfaces with mold cleaner.

I went to the hardware store and found two different kinds of sprays. One is to treat moldy surfaces, the other to avoid mold. I also bought a hose to connect to my kitchen faucet to wash the floors properly. 

I want to elevate the plastic cabinet so, I am thinking of going back to the store to buy a flat piece of wood and install 4 wheels on it. I will place the cabinet on that contraption for easy pulling and pushing.

As I have been dealing with the balcony, I was thinking of contacting a couple of contractors to see if I can get rid of the old glass panels and get new ones installed plus a new coat of paint. 

Armed with a safety goggle, an N95 Mask (a staple nowadays), gloves and a headscarf, I sprayed the nasty smelling mold remover to the black areas. After waiting a little bit, I used two different brushes and lots of warm water to wash down the chemical. The result was quiet amazing. Now, the area I have cleaned looks better than the rest of  the surfaces. I will wash the rest of the surfaces with soapy water. Since there is external paint, I can wash the walls. I still have about half a day's work to do but, once I am done, I believe it will look good as new. 

So, the cleaning totally changed my perspective. I do not think I need to get new glass panels or a new paint job at least for another couple of years. I will also clean and re-organize inside the cabinet, purge unnecessary stuff and make sure everything can be contained in the cabinet. I have a small table where 2 can dine during warmer months. Mom loved having meals there. If the hydrangeas decide to bloom, it is really georgeous in the summer.

I bought peonies and once I am done with the balcony, I will place them and my hyacinths on the table. 

I promised myself to keep my balcony clean and organized from now on. For me, it is reclaimed space and I will make sure it becomes an enjoyable, relaxing part of my home.

An Adventure Many Winters Ago

I have lived in the US between 1990 and 1993 due to a Turkish-American joint project. The company provided  apartments for me and my colleagues during that time. We ran into some end-of-run issues with our Project and I was sent back to the US early Fall in 1995. Since we did not know how long I was gonna be there then, they put me up at a well known chain hotel in Tarrytown, NY instead of an apartment.

Living at a hotel for a prolonged time is boring but, the hotel was a very good one with a very friendly staff and had a pool with glass windows all around the pool area and the Gym. While I stayed there, I also visited my BFF and my other good friend over the weekends and I was having a great time since, I love the Holiday season in the US.

My BFF, her husband and I were going skiing on some weekends. We wanted to go to Killington, VT on the first weekend of January but, they had to cancel due to something that came up. I decided to go alone because, I wasn't sure when I was going to return back home and wanted to make the best of the skiing season. My BFF thought that was a bad idea to go alone but, I did not change my plans.

Internet was not a thing back then so, I looked up a Ski Guide I got from the Princeton Ski Shop. I used to love that store. I remember being heartbroken when they closed. I found a Ski Lodge and booked it for Staurday night.

I jumped in my car around 5 a.m. in the morning on Saturday. There was no snow in NY so, I was hoping that there would be lots of snow on the mountain. The road conditions were perfect and I reached the Ski Lodge around 10 a.m. and checked it out to see, if it was a safe and nice place. Upon deciding that it was a decent place, I checked in, changed into ski clothing and hit the slopes. I was happy to see that it was snowing. I enrolled in a class in the afternoon so that, I would be skiing with a group of people and would be hitting the higher and longer slopes.

Snow conditions were great, lots of packed powder and the instructor turned out to be an ex USAF officer who served at Incirlik Base in Turkey. He kept riding the chair lifts with me and we chatted away. He was a real nice guy. After the lifts were closed, I went back to the lodge, had a shower and decided to check out some stores (yeah I still have the knick knacks) in Killington and dine at a restaurant called The Grist Mill back then. 

My plan was to ski all morning on Sunday and hit the road after lunch. After all, it would be a 4-5 hour drive, right?

I woke up early on Sunday, had a great breakfast at the Lodge, checked out and hit the slopes. It was snowing so much that upper lifts had to be closed around 11 a.m. Getting wet and cold, I went inside to get a cup of something hot. The TV was on and I saw that, at least 3 feet of snow was expected in upstate NY area and that it had already been snowing for hours. On seeing this news, I immediately changed my clothes and hit the road. 30 minutes into my drive, I knew that it was a big big mistake but, 29 year old me decided to keep on driving. 

I have never seen so much snow in my life after that. It took me 11 hours to get back to the hotel and I swear I did not see the asphalt during my trip.  All radio stations were urging people to seek refuge at schools and churches and there were only a handful of cars on the road. A few times, I considered taking and exit and finding a school or church but, I could not risk it thinking that sticking with the Taconic State Parkway was my safest bet. There used to be a gas station right on Taconic that you could pull into from either side of the road. I went in and bought a cup of coffee and a muffin and inquired about the road conditions. The guy at the cash register thought I was nuts to be driving all the way from Vermont. He gave me a free chocolate bar. Lol!

I finally made it to the intersection of Route 119 going towards the hotel and saw that there was a heap of snow blocking the exit due to the gigantic snow ploughs trying to clear 119. I got out of the car and checked out the snow heap. The alternate route would take me another half hour and I was shaking after driving for so long. I looked at the car and then at the heap and decided that I could manage to get over or go through it. I backed up a bit and then, put the pedal to the metal and very luckily managed to get on Route 119 and went to the hotel. It would have been real fun, if I had gotten stuck there. 

I only took my wallet with me going to the hotel room because I had zero strength to gather my bags and skiis. I found several messages from both of my friends urging me to call them as soon as I got to the hotel, no matter what the time was. No cell phones back then. So, I called them to say I made it back safely and got lovingly yelled at. Lol!

We got snowed in for two days. That blizzard made history and if you want to check it out, here is Blizzard of 96 on Wikipedia.

Today, I would never do that. I was a lot more daring (read stupid) when I was young. I used to go down to NYC at night all by myself, stroll around in the Village, have dinner, go to a bar with live music and had no fear. I never realized how risky that was or rather, I did not care. I guess when one is young, she/he thinks they are invincible. With that said, I still take vacations and drive long distances all by myself both in and out of the country and most of my friends don't do that alone. 

Looking back, since it ended well, I am glad, I had that adventure. 

Got the Energy

You know I always share that I am pretty lazy around the apartment but, lately I do have a burst of energy and while I have that, I am attacking various parts of the apartment and putting things in order and keep purging.

Putting on some music does help me get going as I clean and put away things. 

Today, I;

- Emptied and cleaned my purse and started using a different one

- Did a quick grocery run to get yogurt and veggies (I intended to go to the nearest open market but alas! It is declared a new construction site. )

- Re-filled two weeks worth of pill boxes

- Put away my clean and folded clothes that I had washed in Ankara

- Installed the printer software properly on my computer

- Put away all the paperwork related with Client B who decided to stop the hiring process. (I am so glad! I wanted to drop them before they wanted to drop us. The candidates they liked refused their offer which was below average salaries prevailing in the market. They started with unrealistic expectations and we had told them that. Oh well... My friend sent them an invoice for our effort as mentioned in the contract but, I do not think they will pay. Honestly, I do not care. If they pay, that will be a surprise).

- Found and tossed more old receipts, invoices, notes and etc.

- Cleared my dinner table. Now it looks like a proper dinner table. 

- Cleaned my kitchen. (Since I was in a rush to get to Ankara, I had left the kitchen in disarray. I put things in order there. Unfortunately, I ended up tossing away a whole head of iceberg lettuce and about a generous serving of veggie soup).

I think, I felt the Spring in the air today and although March can be real cold, I know nice, warm days are just around the corner.

Tonight, I am grilling a slice of salmon for dinner. Steamed broccoli will accompany that. I mix lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic and salt to make a light sauce to go on the broccoli. May be I will open a bottle of wine too.

I bought a package of Brussel Sprouts enough for about three servings. I see simple meals served with veggies and salads this week.

I am so proud of myself today. It is time to do some laundry and chill the rest of the day. Hope everyone is having a nice, relaxing and/or productive weekend.

Back @Home!

I am back home and it feels perfect!

On Wednesday, I was with my old time friends from my childhood and when I mentioned that I would be coming home today, one of them asked me if she could ride with me. She intended to visit her son going to Medical School in Istanbul. I gladly said yes and we made arrangements to leave around 10:30 a.m. today, stopping at the elderly couple who were my parents' friends, to help the lady with her shopping as usual.

As I was almost leaving to pick her up today, she called me and told me that she would not be able to make it because, her father's caregiver was not feeling well. 

So, I went to visit Aunt C and Uncle O by myself. I took Aunt C shopping and then I fixed her phone. Somehow, she lost all her contact list, whatsapp and facebook apps. 

While I was at Aunt C's, the superintendent rang the door bell saying that the next door neighbor was not responding to neither her kids' calls nor the door bell. He had a set of keys to her apartment but, he was scared to go in by himself. He opened the door and I walked in to a very neat and tidy but empty home. The cell phone was charging and there was no sign of the old lady. Before I left for the road, Aunt C wanted to ring her door bell again and I did. A very sweet 84 year old lady answered the door saying that she had gone to the hairdresser's to get a cut and color. Apparently, she left home in a rush forgetting to take her phone and it was too late when she realized that she left her phone home.

I stopped coloring my hair last year when I was 54 and here is this lively 84 year young woman getting her hair colored in the middle of a pandemic. Shame on me! Lol!

Then I left for Istanbul. There are two mountain passes on my way and it started snowing when I approached the first one and then, it kept snowing all the way to the other. After the second pass, it kept snowing for another 10 minutes or so and then it turned into rain. When I finally came to Istanbul, it was all clear blue skies. It was a pleasant drive with beautiful snowy view.

I rested a bit when I came home, had dinner, emptied and put away my suitcase and now I want to take a long shower followed by drenching myself in moisturizers. Ankara is so darn dry that, my skin feels like sandpaper and it is itchy.

Wishing everyone a very nice and relaxing weekend!

Here is a picture and a video of my trip. The white Ford Escape is my car.

FOCUS

This week's theme is "Focus" for me. Before I jump to that, let me tell you about the family status right now.

First, I must say BIL has recovered and we all are at the Ankara apartment. This is a pretty big place and SIS still sleeps in a separate room. 

Today, they went out to run some errands and start some bureucracy regarding his mom's passing. He is an only child and according to our law, he and his dad inherit everything. His dad 1/4th and him, 3/4. He has his dad's POA so, he can handle everything without having to drag his dad around.

SIS will go back to Izmir this weekend, BIL will probably stay for another week.

They are both fed up with their draining work environment due to poor management. They are considering early retirement but, I made some calculations for them last night (yeah I like to crunch numbers over and over till they cannot be crunched anymore) and it is unlikely for them to retire before March 2025 which is not that far off. BIL seems especially drained and these few weeks he stayed away from the workplace, he got quiet detached. 

His father is still in a shock despite the fact that, his mom was bed ridden during the last ten years and she could not communicate at all. The caregiver will continue to look after him because, he cannot be left alone anymore. He is turning 84 this month.

As for "Focus", I have decided to focus on my part-time work this week. I am hoping to go back home Thursday or Friday, depending on the weather and the roads. Before then, I want to line up some strong potential candidates to interview.

I have two clients and both required 3 different positions each. I think, I will be able to fill two positions at client B this week. The other position will perhaps be filled by themselves. However, if they can't, I have candidates ready to be submitted. They were reluctant to modify their pay level but, it seems they are now offering this person they have found, quiet a high salary. He works at a prominent company so, it is highly likely that he will decline their offer. They had rejected my candidates on paper just because, they were asking for more money. Now that things have changed, I will be able to send my candidates. Even if they do hire their person, I will be very happy because, I really disliked their approach so far and would like to be done with them. 

As for client A, my candidate to replace the one who rejected their offer, had an interview this morning with the boss. If it went well, she will go through an assesment. Now I have two more positions to fill. I hope to be done by the end of April and not take on anymore business in the summer. 

So, you see why I need to focus.

Wishing everyone a very nice week and a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Status Update

The funeral took place on Monday. BIL was wearing two surgical masks and an N95. We were never indoors and it was a windy, bitter cold day with ice on the ground.

I am still at my friend's home but my BIL is tested today and we will know if he is negative in a few hours. If not, I am going back home tomorrow. If he is, I will move to our apartment. SIS is also still at her friends'. 

I found my friend quiet depressed. She has digestive problems and feeling miserable.  She also has some family problems.Tried lifting her spirits up but, she is is not there at all. They have a trip coming up late February as a family. I am hoping that it will help her. Yesterday, I managed to take her out a bit and we had coffee. Today, I want to meet up with my sister and I offered her to come with us. They know each other well and my SIS is the kind of person who can cheer anyone up instantly if she wants to. Yet, my friend declined the offer today. May be she needs time for herself.

BIL is actually relieved that his mom suffers no longer. Let's hope he is recovered fully.

Sad Day for The Family

My BIL's mom passed away today. She has been in a vegetative state for most of the last 10 years and I know her suffering is over now. So, in a way, her death is a blessing. My BIL is an only child  and he was very close to his mom. It was torture for him to see his mom as an invalid for so long, yet he misses her badly.

The funeral is tomorrow. 

My sister jumped on the first plane she could find and I drove over to Ankara. Since, BIL has COVID, we are both staying at our friends' homes.

SIS, her bestie and I will deal with the bureucracy which is really not a big deal and BIL will bring his father to the funeral. The father possibly has COVID too and they actually should not be outside. They will keep their distance from everyone and pay their respects one last time. I did not have the heart to stop them or even saying something about that. Besides, the funerals are held in open space not inside.

Uncle wanted to come but, we stopped him. BIL insisted that he should not come because, it is a much longer drive and his driving skills aren't what they used to be especially in the dark. There are snowy passes over the mountains and there really is nothing he can do to comfort BIL.

His mom was a very sweet lady and she treated my SIS as a daughter rather than a daughter-in-law. She and mom became good friends too. I only have good memories with her. 

Hope, she will rest in Peace. 

Goodbye Aunt S... 

A VENT (So, if you want, you may skip reading this post)

Remember this post?

Well, the company made it's best and final offer on Friday to the candidate. This morning, I asked if she accepted and sent back the offer. She said she talked to her manager and her manager told her, they will be giving her a promotion in April.

She said her salary will exceed what our customer offered her so, she will be declining the offer. 

I understand that people want to maximize their income and that they have anxieties about the future and all that. When she first declined the offer, she should not have come back to us, saying that she wanted to take it after further consideration. That's what upsets me.

She used us. 

May be I should accept the fact that, this is quiet all right, and Niccolo Machiavelli said so back in 16th Century. 

My friend, who is the owner of the company wants to talk to this candidate once again and I see no reason in doing that. I have zero interest in spending even a minute more of my life for a lost cause.

OK! There. I feel better already.

Over the weekend, I sorted thru things, purged, threw away, set aside to donate some stuff and that made me real good. I also sorted through the medicine drawer and tossed a lot of things which have expired long time ago. This activity uplifted my mood so, I will continue in other parts of my home. 

Hope, everybody has a great week. I will forget about how crappy mine started.

Onwards and upwards!

The Patient is doing well and Miscellaneous items post

I spoke to my BIL and he is doing fine. My sister did some online shopping for him and a few friends of theirs will be taking him some homemade soup and food. He seems to be all set. He told me he has been watching the Winter Olympics.

I hope, he got a real mild case of it and will test negative soon. He probably got the Omicron because, he did not lose his sense of smell. His dog nose!

Today is a beautiful day with a clear blue sky. It is 7℃ (45℉). I opened the windows and the fresh air makes me feel really good.

I am in a purging mood so, I took a box and now am gathering things that I feel I do not need or want anymore. Will put the box by the recycling area. I have also found several boxes of business cards in my name for 3-4 companies I have worked for. I cut them up along with some loyalty cards that I do not need anymore. Everything is on my cell phone nowadays. Getting rid of some old paperwork as well as no longer needed training documentation, notes and etc. "One day, may be they will come handy" stuff as I call them. I decided they haven't come lately in such a long time that, I do not think they ever will.

The other day I bought a sturdy cardboard box at IKEA. I will store knick knacks, things on display on the TV unit and in other places that look cluttered. Most of them have some sentimental value so, I am not getting rid of them for good. I plan to store them in a closet. May be this will give me the opportunity to finally get rid of the TV unit and get a new one. We'll see. I think I bought it in 1998. Few years ago, I painted it with chalk paint and it looks OKish. However, I am so tired of having it for so many years. 

I have not budgeted my part-time income from the headhunting business. So, when I get paid (meaning if all goes well and the candidates are hired), I have decided to gift myself a robot vacuum cleaner and set aside a budget for a brand new computer. I do not intend to buy a new computer till this one kicks the bucket but, earmarking a certain amount will be nice considering that my current laptop is 5 years old.

I also have been thinking about my durable goods lately. My fridge and dishwasher were bought back in 2004 and my washing machine, in 2011. The stove top and the oven are pretty new. 5 years old or so. Everything is in perfect working order right now and these are durable goods, so they must last a long time although, nowadays they are not as well built as they used to be. Checking the current prices for these (yikes!), I decided to allocate a small amount in my budget every month, to come up with an emergency fund just for the durables. Or I may use the income from the headhunting job if all goes well.

Had an egg salad sandwich on a roll for lunch and will be having a piece of salmon, brussel sprouts and a salad for dinner. The eggs wre supposedly medium sized but, I think they came from young chicks because they were pretty small. Probably the second time in my life that I ate three eggs. I soaked some chick peas and will be cooking them later on to make hummus, use on salads and etc. I also made a small pot of veggie soup.

You see, this is a day of thinking and making decisions, plans, cooking and purging. I guess I am at Spring Cleaning 101 phase. 

How is your weekend so far?

UGH! COVID hits the family...

My BIL has been in Ankara since last Sunday to take care of his folks. The caregiver needs to go to her home country for a while and there is a temp caregiver now. He also needed to sell a piece of land on behalf of his father.

He had taken the caregiver to some Government offices for some bureaucracy and saw her off on Wednesday. 

Today, he hears from her saying that her COVID test she had to take in her home country turned out positive. He was telling me the story while coughing and he also said he was running a slight fever. He thought it must be a cold or something. I asked him if he had taken a COVID test and he said no, because he was supposed to go back home on Sunday and I lost it!

I said "Are you nuts? What if you have the damn virus? You will board a plane full of passengers and go home to your wife who has a chronic condition? You are going to the hospital right this moment and getting tested!" 

I then called my sister and told her if he tests positive, she will not be going to Ankara to care for him because, she is vulnerable and that I will be going instead. Yeah, I pulled rank... We'll see if she will obey the orders though... She said she was an adult and stuff like that but, I ended the conversation by saying that if she manages to die before I do, due to some sillyness and ignorance like this, I will jump off a roof and follow her around till eternity yacking away all these stupid stuff. Here is a risk she will not want to take I think.

The apartment in Ankara is quiet large and I can isolate BIL in their bedroom which has a bathroom. I can put a TV table right outside his door and serve him his meals. Then my sister says, she has ridden in the car with a guy working for him who just got tested positive. I asked her if she was wearing an N95 mask and she said "no, just a regular surgical mask". I lost it again! Now, I am worried if she has caught the darn virus.... Sigh...

While we were talking on the phone, my BIL went to the hospital where they gave him an IV to bring his temperature down because, by the time he reached the hospital, he was running a serious fever. They also gave him a tomography and two different COVID tests one being the quick test. Thankfully, his lungs are clean but, guess what? He tested positive!

He is feeling good and he asked none of us to go to Ankara as long as he feels fine. I am OK with that. 

I wonder what was going to happen, if I hadn't made him go get tested. He probably would have visited his folks to say goodbye and infect them as well. 

Normally, they are level headed people but...

So, now COVİD hit my family too and I will be worried sick till he tests negative.

Back to Square One! Or not?

Ugh! This has been such a whirlwind of a day.

As you may know, I am working part-time as a headhunter. I have been trying to fill a position for the last 8 weeks or so. 

The Customer is a technology company and my candidate was a highly competent technical lady. She has passed all the interviews with flying colors but, thit the wall in the assesment. The position is a technical managerial position and apparently her management skills were not sufficient. Anyway, the boss wanted to work with her so, he went out of his way to make this deal happen.

Meanwhile, an economic crisis happened in December and the inflation rate sky-rocketed quickly. Everybody lost their minds and people started changing jobs for extraordinary pay levels in technology. Then, companies started offering high increases in pay levels to stop their employees from leaving their jobs.

Today, finally the Customer prepared it's offer to my candidate and she refused it! I tried to show her that the offer was indeed a good one but, she wouldn't budge. She made a counter offer that has been rejected by the Customer. My efforts? Down the drain! Ugh!

I decided to bury my sorrow in pizza and dozed off after dinner. Carbs you know...

I woke up to my phone ringing and realized that the caller was the candidate! She told me, she considered the offer again and talked to her husband and decided to take it! Say what? How childish is this? How unprofessional? Instead of flatly refusing the offer and making a ridiculuous counter offer, ask for a day to consider it. Discuss it with whoever you want to discuss it with. This is not child's play. 

I told her, I will relay the info to my friend who is the owner of the business. She has a friendly relationship with the boss who wanted to hire this candidate.

My friend called the boss and told him that "we" tried to change the candidate's mind and that she would take the offer. 

If I were the boss, I would not although I do hope, they will because, this way I can be paid, too. Otherwise, it is back to square one. If she gets hired, I am sure there will be some bitter feelings towards her at least for a while. 

What do you say dear blogosphere friends?