The Last Hurrah

Life was so crazy-nutso leading up to Chris leaving for the aquaculture program that we had to have our Last Hurrah night together almost a week before he left. I'm glad we even got one night together just the two of us, honestly. I was afraid we wouldn't even get that. So, we made delicious salads with cherry tomatoes, avocado, black beans, corn, hard-boiled egg, and lightly-breaded chicken. It was SO good.

I also gave Chris one early birthday present (his birthday is next week) because I wanted us both to be able to enjoy it at least once before he left:

Ray LaMontagne on VINYL baby! Sweet.



We also celebrated with champagne and mango-orange juice, even though we've both had enough champagne (actually, this was Prosecco) to get pretty much the whole state of VA tipsy. We just wanted to do our own toast, just the two of us!

Then, of course, we played a game. The game we played was:

Tower of Bunnies!!!!!!

It's basically like Jenga, but, you know, with BUNNIES. Yay! Oh yeah, and I won best 2 out of 3. Champion Tower of Bunnies Player= Moi!

Tower of Bunnies!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Today is my one-year anniversary at Greenlight Biofuels! I know that something like a work anniversary probably doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, but honestly, I'm pretty excited. A year ago, before I got hired, I was unemployed, scared, and slowly becoming broke. I never dreamed of finding such a cool job.

Here are some Sad-Unemployed-Broke-Girl posts:

A Day in the Life

Confessions

You Say You Want a Resolution


Anyways, I have a couple people in my life who are seeking employment opportunities (and I know there are many more of you out there who are doing the same), so I'd like to say this: Hang in there, stick with it, and don't sell yourself short. You deserve a good job. Don't be afraid to ask people for help, work hard on your resume, cover letters, etc and do your homework before interviews. In fact, while I'm thinking about this, here's my Unemployed Survial Tips List:

1. Do something active EVERY single day. Seriously guys, it's important to keep those endorphins flowing so you can deal with daily rejection without going completely mental. Also, it will keep you showering regularly...

2. Change out of your pajamas. Even if it's just to put on your comfy jeans and a sweatshirt. Oh, and brush your hair, mmmmk?

3. Eat a good breakfast. It's not like you don't have time, am I right? Hell, I had pancakes and bacon and eggs like three times a week when I was unemployed. Plus, it will give your body and mind the energy they need for a long day of scouring craigslist.

4. Let people take care of you every once in a while. This is hard. It's easy to feel embarrassed that you can't afford to go out and have a drink with your friends. But, I say, if your besty offers to buy you a beer, let him or her (but don't take advantage). You need to get your ass outta the house every so often, seriously.

5. Keep busy. Do all the projects around the house that need done when you're taking breaks from staring at the classifieds and drooling. It will give you that sense of accomplishment you desperately need right now.

6. Every single article I've read about unemployment says to wake up at the same time of day that you would if you were going to work. I say this is bull patuckey. When else in your post-college adult life are you going to be able to go to bed at 3 AM and wake up at noon? It's great, I loved it, and I miss it. That's the schedule I slowly, but surely, revert to when I don't have a schedule to follow. Yeah, it makes it harder to get back on schedule when you do get a job (which you will!), but whatever.

So, there. Here's to feeling grateful and hopeful!

Things That Rock About Having a Job Again

-Moneymoneymoneymoney! MONEY!(It's a gas...)
   -(subcategories): Sushi!
   -Red wine!
   -Going out to dinner/lunch/breakfast!
   -Not spending down my savings account anymore!
   -Saving on a regular basis.
-Not having to worry about never getting hired.
-Getting dressed everyday.
-Appreciating the time I do get with Chris.
-Meeting cool, new people.
-Feeling useful and accomplishing tasks daily.
-Being able to keep feeding Coltrane.
-Um, work laptop and a blackberry. 'Nuff said.
-Making a difference by working for a green company.
-Kicking ASS.

Away on Business

Sorry it's been so long, folks.

Well, I had my first day of my new job today! And it went really, really well, so I'm pretty freakin' excited. The people in my new office are all really nice, which is so important. And, this job is going to be perfect for me, I can already tell. I can wear JEANS to work if I want to (Hallelujah, Amen)! So far, I've been dressing slightly nicer than most of my coworkers, but I'm sure it won't last too long!

Tomorrow I hit the road for another office in the company I work for. I'm going to be doing training there for three days, and I'm getting put up in a hotel. Fancy pants! And I will learn to file an expense report afterwards and get reimbursed for the mileage I put on my car and stuff.

I also got a work laptop and will get a Blackberry very soon. I seriously feel spoilt. Yes, spoilt.

I was also thinking today about all those people out there who are looking for jobs. I just want to say that it is all going to be ok. Just hang in there, try to exercise when you can, and read an article or two on how to ace an interview. It's all helpful. I keep hearing things about the job market getting better also, so that's a positive.

In other news:
-I finally cleaned the upstairs bathroom. Who knew it was that color?
-Getting up at 8 after getting up between 11-12 for months was difficult. I felt sick this morning.
-It's so cold that my skin immediately dries out the second I walk outside. I'm like an alligator over here!
-Now that I know I will have a steady paycheck, I have consumed sushi multiple times...
-Chris has me watching Battlestar Galactica now that we've finished Stargate SG-1. DORKITUDE! Okay, whatever, it's actually an amazing show.

Dream Job

So, for some reason I haven't yet written a post to detail the craziness that occurred in my life last week. Maybe because it's just too good to be true. Maybe I felt that writing about it would make it turn out to not have happened at all.

I wrote a post before letting you all know that I had been offered an Office Assistant position with an insurance company. Well, that was after being told by the company that I really wanted to work for that they had decided to offer the Admin position there to someone else. I was pretty devastated, but was offered this other Office Assistant job the very next day. So, needing gainful employment, I accepted. Then, two days later, after having let the job I really wanted go, and after having embraced the idea that I would be working for this insurance company, I found that I had a message on my voicemail from the guy who was hiring at the company I wanted to work for in the first place (we had been in the recording studio all day, so my phone was on silent). I didn't get the message until about 6 PM on Friday, but I called him back anyways. And, THEY OFFERED ME THE JOB! I don't know what happened (likely, the person they offered the position to did not accept!), but I was floored! I cried as soon as I hung up the phone because I was so excited, relieved, and flattered.

The only bad thing was the part where I had to tell the insurance company that I had accepted another position. Awkward! But, pretty much everything about the job is better, so I certainly owed it to myself.

So, now I am an Administrative Assistant to the Director of Operations for a Biofuel Company. That's right. They make fuel out of waste vegetable oil from restaurants, etc. How awesome and green is that? And the people who work there seem incredibly cool, which is something I really care about. So, I dive-in on Monday.

And so, a new era begins... and I'm incredibly excited.

Officially EMPLOYED!

Gigantic, enormous, crazy sigh of relief. For serious. I am now officially an Office Assistant for a new company. I start Monday, so my Months-of-Unemployment Period is finally coming to a close. I had good days, bad days, fun times, and miserable times. And I learned a lot about myself and my capabilities. Also, I learned that I can live incredibly cheaply if necessary. I learned that I have a really great support system, and I learned that the job market really does SUCK big-time. "They" aren't lying when "they" say that.

I don't like to get on a soapbox very often, but I'm going to do so now for a minute. Being unemployed was at once exhilirating and terrifying. The times when things seemed hopeless and scary were very hard to deal with. People like me, who have a tendency towards clinical depression and extreme anxiety, may not always be very good at coping with that kind of stress. But it is important to seek help when help is needed, and it is even more important to stay active. Chris has helped me stay motivated to exercise regularly lately, and it has really helped me. I experienced a good bit of rejection in the past couple months, and I could have easily not gotten out of bed in the morning. That's what depression does to you; it makes it so you can't find a reason to get up and do anything about anything. But, I got through it all without having one day where I didn't get up or went back to bed to sleep the afternoon away. So, go me! I also had the help of my family and friends, along with that of a wonderful counselor, who all did their parts to keep me from going totally insane, so I just want to say thank you to all of them.

So, on Monday I gotta get my butt outta bed early in the morning, and drag myself to my new work. The first day is going to be scary! And getting back on a "normal" schedule will be difficult as well. And, Chris and I seem to have only just recently adjusted to both being home most of the day, so now we'll have to adjust back the other way!

In other news, my band is entering the home stretch of the recording process, and I will keep The Interweb abreast (yes, I said "abreast") of the details surrounding our album release. It's exciting stuff! It's so very glamorous! Photoshoots, days in the studio, CD replication, artwork... it's pretty cool. But, these things cost money, so it's a good thing we saved our pennies for so long!

sigh. Wine now.

A Day in the Life

(of an unemployed 20-something):
-10:00 AM: The alarm goes off (for the first time). Stupid, stupid alarm! Don't you know I was up until 2:30 AM alternating between watching old Sex and the City episodes and old Stargate SG-1 episodes (This is what happens when you live with your boyfriend. You have to compromise, people.)? I know it's the super-annoying alarm that we recorded ourselves on Chris's phone, designed specifically to get our asses out of bed, but I'm drowsy and have nowhere to be (The alarm consists of Chris playing the most horrible guitar chord he could think of while I scream "WAKE UP!" until my throat hurts so much that I cough into the phone).
-10:15 AM: "Bah bah WAKE UP! bah bah bah WAKE UP! Bah BAH BAH HUWAH HUWAH (that's coughing)"
-10:30 AM: "Chris, we really should get up." "Nooooooooooooooo." "Ok, you're the boss." Zzzzzzzzzzzz...
-11:00 AM: Get up, pee, brush teeth, but stay in pajamas. Go downstairs to feed the poor bunny who's been ready for breakfast since 6:00 AM.
-11:05 AM: COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE. Have I mentioned that I make really good coffee? You have to put one heaping tablespoon of coffee per cup and then add a little extra. Then, put your milk and/or sugar in the mug first. If you do milk, microwave it before putting the coffee into the mug. That way, your coffee won't get cold after like, point-zero-six seconds. Kind of like a Cafe Au Lait, I suppose. Anyways, YUM non-work-poison-coffee.
-11:15 AM: Breakfast, which I so affectionately made, is ready. Being unemployed= eating nice, big breakfasts every morning. Now that's the way to start your day kids.
-12:00 PM: Scour craigslist, local newspapers, online jobs boards, etc for job possibilities. Send fifteen inquiries, 14 of which turn out to be scams. No, I will not put my SSN into an online form, thank yew very much. You only get that number outta me if you hire me and give me moneys.
-1:00 PM: Glance through resume again. There must be some reason why no one has hired me yet. Shit, I totally forgot! I'm a notary public! That shit's marketable, yo! Put that shizzy on that page, bitch! In Mutha Fuckin' BOLD.
-1:30 PM: That phone interview for that job I really want. This is the third interview with the same company. That must mean they want me. No other reason to interview me THREE times.
-2:30 PM: Sit on the floor and pet Coltrane. The bun LOVES unemployed mommy. It means more treats, more roaming around the apartment, and more face-time. What bun doesn't know, is that unemployed mommy could eventually mean NO FOOD.
-3:00 PM: Chris goes to work, which means the TV is MINE. MINE! Sex and the City, perhaps a second cup of coffee, and job-searching on my little netbook. Maybe they've updated the classifieds sometime in the last hour?
-5:00 PM: Workout. Do it. Come on, don't be a wussy with a "p." Get your ass moving girl! (That's my pep talk to myself, btw).
-6:00 PM: SHOWER. Even unemployed people need to do this on occasion.
-6:30 PM: Receive an email about that job with the three interviews. They want someone with a different kind of experience. Cry. A Lot.
-7:00 PM: Go to therapy. Cry. A Lot. Some more.
-8:00 PM: Home. I have time on my hands, which means I can take the time to cook a nice meal for Chris and I. It'll be hot on the plate at exactly the time he walks in the door. I'm Little Miss Domestic, and it's a pleasure to meet you.
-8:30 PM: Both parties, while ravenously eating, begin jockeying for control of the remote. Which person gets to choose what goes on the TV? Girly Sexy Smart or Nerdy Dorky Irritating? To me, the choice is obvious.
-9:00 PM: Whelp, Chris got the TV. I should do some writing. Maybe I'll write a blog post. Maybe I'll work on the book. Maybe I'll do another article for that company that runs a Writer-Sweat-Shop and pays $2.10 per article.
-11:00 PM: The alernating TV watching begins. Somewhere around 12 or 1 comes a snack, often Pita Chips.
-2:00 AM: I'm not really tired, but I should go to bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll get an interview....


SIGH. HIRE ME.

The Hunt

Hello all. It's been quite the beginning of the week. Being at work after giving notice is tough... it's a weird combination of feeling ultra-responsible to get things done and feeling totally unmotivated. But I'm still very happy with my decision to leave, so that's good. On Monday morning, the Chief Operations Officer (COO!) in the office asked me if I slept ok... obviously trying to guage whether or not I felt ok with my decision... which I do! Woo!

I've been scouring the internet for job postings since I quit my job, and, I must say, I have come across some WEIRD things. For instance, I came across an ad on craigslist looking for a  "Model/Receptionist (part-time)." Um? Why does it matter what someone looks like when their job is to answer the phone? After the ad goes on to talk about wanting someone with good people skills, an outgoing personality, basic computer skills, and, oh yeah, good looks, it says "no resumes please. Simply a photo." Skeaze to the max. It might as well say "seeks a blonde, bubbly, bimbo with breasts the size of Buick. Must have low self-esteem and do anything for little-to-no-pay." Ew.

Then there are things like "18th-Century Costumed Reenactors Needed," or "Do You Drink?" or "Zombies Needed," or "Part-time Dietary Aides." Sounds to me like that last one is looking for human fiber. It is actually looking for people to work at a retirement community to help with meal planning, etc. But definitely sounds like they want people who have some kind of innate ability to soften other people's stool.

Sigh. Where's the person who wants to give me thousands of dollars to write for them? Or, maybe just give me $25,000 in advance to write a book. About whatever I want. Like bunnies, or Italy, or singing, or about strange crap that happens on a daily basis. Or about how freakin' weird people can be.

Anyways, I am in the process of scheduling an interview for a part-time admin thing that I'm actually excited about (more detail later), and I'm in the running for a part-time blogging position. So fingers crossed. Wish me luck! Or hire me!

2 Weeks

So, my life has been in a bit of upheaval of late. I made a HUGE decision recently, which was to quit my current desk job. There are all sorts of reasons why I decided to do so, and I don't want to bore you with all of them, but let's just say that I'm ready for a new chapter of my life. Yesterday I gave my two weeks notice, and I am so excited about my new possibilties! I could do ANYTHING! I could flip burgers by day (as is the English Major way) and write a novel by night! I could work in a book store part-time and in an office part-time. I could work in a wine-tasting room and start a wine blog. I could do ANYTHING! I could get a job at a newspaper. I could do admin work at a counseling center and do my small part helping depressed people. I could start a business. I could be a personal assistant and an executive AT THE SAME TIME (I could be my own personal assistant). ANYTHING!

Best-case scenario (at least, in my head) would be to get a part-time admin job that pays well that enables me to spend the rest of the time writing from home (or from a coffee shop... wouldn't want to crowd Chris during his sacred Xbox time!) either for a paper, a blog, a magazine, or any combination thereof.

SO, if you're hiring, I'm your girl. I'm a fast learner, I'm organized, I have years of experience (bow chicka wow!), I have good written and verbal communication skills, and, most importantly, I make a mean cup of coffee.

My Dream Job

Seeking: Beach Bum

This is an exciting and challenging full-time employment opportunity for a an unqualified candidate with no experience.

Candidate must be hard work-averse and have a strong background in procrastination and slackerdom.

Education Requirements:
-Candidate must have either been the class daydreamer or class clown.
-College education discouraged, but a useless degree will be considered (English, History, Music, Philosophy...) if candidate is otherwise qualified.

Responsibilities will include:
-Rarely setting foot indoors
-Attaining brown, leathery skin and callused feet
-Aimless wandering
-Making temporary friends with the vacationers
-Naming the seagulls and sharing lunch with them
-Listening to an unhealthy amount of Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffett
-Forgetting how to use a computer
-Napping in the afternoon
-Collecting seashells and left-behind beach items
-Drinking booze out of a brown paper bag
-Singing to oneself

Professional dress is forbidden and is grounds for termination.

Compensation: based on lack of experience
Location: Onthewater, VA

Please send messy, hand-written cover letter and blank resume to:

Bob Dunnadoanythin
That Beat Up Boat by That Dock
Onthewater, VA 00000

I would be so good at this.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Showing up for my first day of work.