Music Makes It Good

What? Suna's posting about Tom Petty again? Well, after a day of no job action whatsoever, hurting my back doing laundry, worrying that Lee is still sick, and knitting on a somewhat boring project, nothing can perk a girl up like music.

I am watching a Tom Petty concert on public television, a 30th anniversary event in our mutual hometown (I have waxed nostalgic about Gainesville before, so I will try to tone it down). It's neat that there are still two Heartbreakers from G'ville, too.

I just love nice, clean rock and roll. Not full of glitz and glitter, not noise for its own sake, but pure rock. I have happy ears, and even enjoyed Stevie Nicks' guest appearance. Tee hee, our favorite singing witch.

The other thing that has helped keep the ole spirits up has been that the Daily Show (I mean A Daily Show) and Colbert Report are back. They aren't doing a bad job at all, I think. I like happy news better than the dismal stuff I have been seeing lately every time I look at CNN.com. Way too many parents killing children, gore and maiming. But, I can smile at the fake news shows and revel in the fact that, whoa, the first two primaries didn't totally make the rest of them pointless.

Let's ignore that my 401K equivalent thingie lost money last quarter, and Big Business sure doesn't want to let ME get ahead. There's always tomorrow for dreams to come true. Or to slog through. Take your pick.

Job Seeker Blog #4

After a pretty darned depressing morning, with me feeling bad about not getting that job and Lee being sick still, I rallied and went to today's interviews, which were with a company that does software for nonprofits.

It's funny that I interviewed at the place we moved down here for XH to work (sorta, it got eaten by Big Blue and moved offices), then today I interviewed in the place he last worked when he was here. Of course, that place was long ago eaten by another company, but the furniture is still there. Still a cool building and now next to shopping...

I interviewed at this place last year (I think or year before) but it has changed a lot. For the better! I really liked everyone I talked to, and honestly think I'd be a wonderful fit there--pretty much they were looking for me or a person very much like me. I did get a good feeling about it. And the benefits...ahhhh.

We'll just have to see how this one comes out but it does seem a bit better fit than some of the others. I like it as much as the Thursday place, and it has the advantage of not being about to move really far away. They just moved where they are now and have plenty of space. At least I still have a few viable options.

And of course, I applied for a bunch more today. Various degrees of fit. And because my self esteem is LOW I submitted myself to a contract position at ALE with bad pay (less than I made there before). But, one needs a backup.

Job Seeker Report #3: Not a Good Start

Sigh, last night I got an email from the place where I did the big presentation on Friday, stating they would "not be going forward with the interview process." As I suspected, spending most of the time I should have been working on the presentation taking care of the kids' teeth issues was not a good thing. Or who knows, maybe they just didn't like my personality. The thing is, this was one of the GOOD places. On the other hand, it was one of the ones that was not going to pay very well.

I am surprised I didn't get my rejection for the second job I interviewed for that day yet. I expect it later.

Still in the running for good ole ALE as far as I know, and the place with the really nice people from last week. And I have a big series of interviews at the really interesting nonprofit software place I lost out on last spring (yeah, that de-motivates me, but I better ACT motivated). And tomorrow, another presentation. Now I worry I suck at that, but heck, I KNOW I am good at that...and I have read two books and four websites to prepare for this one.

This morning I am reading up on the job I am interviewing for today, and working more on the presentation. Tonight and tomorrow morning, more presentation work. Then after the presentation, nothing. I did apply to a couple of more jobs yesterday. Trying to be all pumped up...but it can be hard!

The kids are back at school, but Lee is still here. He has some horrible illness with a bad fever and a lot of coughing. I am staying away, trying to keep healthy at least until tomorrow afternoon. I feel so bad for him--and worried that neither of us is earning much if he is sick (trying to work from home) and that he has no health insurance. Crap. Not thrilled at Big Business so far this week. Please think of poor sickly Lee. Sick Lee. Ahaha.

Is It Just Me?

You know what? I have stopped getting spam. My junk mail folder for the past few days has nothing in it but a couple of legitimate emails that were blind carbons. I seem to be getting all my legit email, though.

No one cares if my pee-pee is big enough any more? What if I have ED? And, sniff, how will I ever get OEM software? Ooh, here's an article on how Viagra spam works, if you ever wondered. I hope it's OK with them to share their illustration. I cited the source.

Did some newer and fancier anti-spam law pass when I wasn't looking? I just got a 2008 email marketing technique book, and it only mentions CAN-SPAM from 2003. Did all the spammers just give up? Did Eudora suddenly improve when I wasn't looking? (I doubt that--my email software won't update again until I pay money again, and I can't now.)

Has anyone else noticed a remarkable decrease in unwanted email in the past week or two?

Quote I Liked

This was the quote of the day on Anu Garg's Word a Day site (been reading it for almost as long as he's been doing it, as I may have mentioned before):

"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty."
-Albert Einstein

Birthday Month Meme Amusement

I have mentioned before that I read the blog by Barb Cooper, currently a local humor writer, soon to be a distant humor writer. She is always wanting to be tagged for memes, and answering ones she isn't tagged for, anyway. In her honor, I am doing this one that she was tagged for but I was not (cause she doesn't tag me in this semi-hidden blog, anyway). I just laughed and laughed at the whole concept, so will play along.

She said in her blog: "Okay, this meme asks you to take the attributes supposedly associated with your birth month (February) and talk about how they apply to you. Pay no attention to the fact that they seem to have been randomly generated by some astrological parody engine or a house elf or something."

She's right, they are pretty funny and random, but some hit the nail on the head for this Child of March (depicted by the lovely aquamarine crystal above). Here are my reactions...

MARCH:

Attractive personality. Not sure what I attract other than inappropriate partners (before the autumn of 2006, of course) but sure, yeah, I must attract something.

Sexy. As long as Lee thinks I am, I will buy into that. I do not really care if anyone else thinks so.

Affectionate. In my own not-too-touchy-feely way, sure. I am more mentally affectionate.

Shy and reserved. Well, as I will tell anyone, I am a well-socialized introvert. I actually AM shy, I just may not appear to be due to my stellar acting abilities in public situations.

Secretive. Absolutely positootely. And I will not tell you why or in what way.

Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. And that has been my undoing more than once. But, I like being that way, really.

Loves peace and serenity. I don't call myself a pacifist for nothing. And there's a reason I flee conflict. Love that peace and serenity and would like it as much as possible all day all the time.

Sensitive to others. Very. Usually a good thing. Especially when I can spot a predator, mean person, or person liable to harm others in a flash. Not good when I see that someone has chosen such a person as a partner. Hard to keep my mouth shut.

Loves to serve others. Fraid so. All those years at the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization speak to that.

Easily angered. It takes a while to build up, actually, but once the trigger hits, I guess.

Trustworthy. Trust me; I am. Or ask my friends and family if you refuse to trust my self-reported trustworthiness.

Appreciative and returns kindness. I am always surprised when anyone is kind to me, and I am not sure why that is. I really enjoy being kind to others.

Observant and assesses others. Very much so. I am perhaps too observant at times. My assessments are usually accurate and I sure get pissed off at myself if they are not.

Revengeful. Maybe when younger. I think I have drummed that out of myself.

Loves to dream and fantasize. I'm a Pisces; what do you expect? Yeah. Much of my life I have been more in the fantasy world than the real one. Lately it's been more real.

Loves traveling. Absolutely, though I also love home. I like to see different things and see how other people live.

Loves attention. Look at meeee, look at meeeee. This is another thing I have worked on lessening.

Hasty decisions in choosing partners. BWA HA HA. This is the one that had me literally ROFL-ing. Yep, I have always been hasty. That's why I tried to ignore all the signals between Lee and me and go as slowly as I could. Still, once we were together, we were hastily partners. He was born in March, too, ya know.

Loves home decors. Or office cubicle decor.

Musically talented. I do like to sing, and read music fairly well. Lots of people are more talented, but I enjoy what I have.

Loves special things. I didn't know what this meant, but if it means I have sentimental attachments to objects, I do. Thus, the clutter of "special items" in the house.

Moody. Overly, perhaps.


By the way, Barb posted all the months' supposed attributes if you want to wax eloquent about yourself and your month (scroll past the discussion of a book about sex ed for young girls, or not, as you wish).

Friday's Feast (Late Again)

Appetizer: When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?
Yay, an easy one. Just a few weeks ago I got a box from a member of a couple of my email lists, which had some lovely red silk laceweight knitting yarn, a nice card and some candy in it. I had no idea it was coming--I suspect the members of that list conspired to send some people having hard times little pick-me-ups. It was so very much appreciated.

Soup: If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?
Let's have four homes! Winter: Virgin Islands; Spring: Texas Hill Country; Summer: Great North Woods near a lake in either Wisconsin or Minnesota; Fall: western Ireland.

Salad: Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Pineapple. My favorite fruit.

Main Course: Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.
Probably the shawl that Jody knitted for me last year. It is mottled red silk/cashmere yarn and a faroese-ish shape, with beautiful lace patterning and a lovely border. It stays on perfectly and is nice and big. It's a piece of art AND something to wear. The picture on this post is a close-up of some of the shawl's details.

Dessert: If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

At first I was going to say 9/11, but maybe I need to remember that, awful as the experience was. I'd like to forget, though, the last day I was at the main office of the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization, when the guy I worked with for a year and a half told me I was off the project and to go get another job. I knew he suddenly turned on people if they made even a tiny perceived error, but I guess I thought it would not be me. I really pity anyone who works with this fellow--perhaps the most two-faced individual I have ever met. And if you're spying on me for his folks, feel free to tell him.

Job Seeker Blog #2

This really old photo of me from my Old Life is here because it shows me doing what I like to do best (next to knitting)--standing up in front of people and 'splaining stuff to them or singing to them. The 'splaining what I did today as part of one of my endless job application processes. I made a PowerPoint presentation of a case study of a company's website and how it could improve its use of the employer's company's product. It was NOT my best work (explanation below) but I sure enjoyed presenting it, anyway. I love an audience.

Let's go back. When I last posted, the darling children were having 8 teeth removed, 4 each. Boy howdy, they were knocked out. I didn't leave the dentist office until after 11. I got them home, changed their bloody discharges (gag) and went to the grocery store to get their pain med prescriptions filled. Well, come to discover XH's insurance, which would be my least favorite insurance company on earth if it didn't also pay my child support, stopped supporting the HEB pharmacy as of December 1. Of course I got no notice (it not being my insurance). Sigh. So, rather than spend another 45 minutes waiting at another pharmacy, I paid. Now, I'd already paid a ton of money ($1.5K) for part of the teeth extraction, on no salary. Dang. I better get a job and soon! By the time I got home, it was nearly 1 pm and I had an interview at 3! When was I going to write that PowerPoint...

Job Hunter must report that the interview yesterday afternoon was super-dee-duper from the job seeker perspective. I sure loved the company, thought its product was cool and wanted to be bestest friends with everyone I interviewed with. And I parked next to my friend's husband's car (it says "Troi") when I was at the recruiter's for this one on Wednesday, which was a good omen, I figured. The only downside to this one is they are moving to my LEAST favorite place for an office (if you are in Austin, it's 360 and Bee Caves, a place it is impossible to get to from my house without hitting multiple bottlenecks). Right now they are ten minutes from me. Sigh. But wow, what cool people. One guy's wife had recently had a home birth and he was all impressed with the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization and stuff. So, even if I don't get that one, I had a good time interviewing. For them, I had to write a little essay on Technical Writing. I may post that here. I don't know how great it was, but it was fun to write, so that's a positive experience, regardless.

I spent all evening yesterday writing the PowerPoint, then I got up, wrote the essay, finished the PowerPoint and went off. After the presentation, I had time to kill because the next interview was across the street, so I was able to wander around the Domain, a fancy shopping center that used to be a manufacturing site of the maker of my first computer back in 1986. I found my rose perfume there, and got a very, very on sale cardigan and black turtleneck at White House Black Market. I will wear that to one of the interviews next week, to a place that's already seen the Black Interview Suit.

Because I had to go to a pretty formal workplace for the afternoon interview, The Black Interview Suit had to be seen twice by today's first company. I varied the blouse. Of course. Wow, was the second interview of the day in a beautiful, yet austere place. I felt sorry for the receptionist. She was all alone in an acre of floor and wall space. Very tasteful, but very alone. The workplace was really lovely, but at least had some homey touches. This interview was for a contract tech writer position (I mentioned it yesterday I think). But it turned out they wanted someone who was a real programmer. That is not me. I think it's OK to eliminate one possibility, though. I really have plenty of opportunities remaining!

And another "job" opportunity came up today, sorta. A lady called about designing or making dog sweaters for a dog rescue organization in California. I didn't get to talk to her much, but that sounds at least like a fun possibility.

Both boys feel better today, by the way. Tuba Boy was a mess most of yesterday--really had issues with the pain. Beccano, who had a rougher surgery, was a real trouper. Must have inherited my pain tolerance. Tuba Boy got Lee's, even though they aren't actually related!

Tomorrow, all I am going to do is apply for jobs, knit and enjoy the family. A little respite from interviewing for the weekend!

If you read all of this, I award you Bonus Friend Loyalty points.

Job Seeker Blog #1

I am going to label posts mostly about the job searcharama as "job seeker blog" for a while, I think.

Yesterday was the first post-holiday job seeking day. Things sure started off with a big bang. Beginning at 9 am, emails and calls began, and the last one came in just before 9 pm! Not all the places I talked to previously contacted me, but most did.

Here’s a summary so far:

1. The fun place with the gongs in the office, where I’d be a person who supports clients using the product sent me email instructions for a rather complicated presentation they want me to do on Friday/tomorrow. I am to analyze a company’s use of their software and make recommendations for getting more product reviews for the company’s products. Of course, doing this has been hampered by all the other calls and interviews, and the fact that the kids have oral surgery today.

2. The first place I talked to during the week before Christmas also wants a presentation, this one on “email marketing best practices.” I sure hate the phrase “best practices,” because I am such an anti-buzzword gal. But, I know how to use the Internet and I will go make something for them. That won’t be until next Wednesday, so I have time.

3. I got a call from a recruiter about a contract job at a place where things are usually the color of the sky and are very big. If I went there, I’d have hit the three biggest conglomerates in town, all in a row! On this one, of course, the pay is really good, and I’d work with someone who used to be at ALE in the next department over, which would be nice. The job sounds much like the one I just left, with better equipment—creating e-training. He’d put in a good word for me, which is always appreciated. I go there tomorrow, after the big presentation. Luckily it’s right across the street. In another irony, I’d be working on the products that XH moved us to Austin to work on in the first place, which was at a once-fun startup that got bought and made extra-corporate.

4. I talked to the HR person at a job that originally sounded sorta dull, but once she described it, became much better—a nice variety of writing tasks and at another place with fun and nice people. It might be somewhat far away, but she said they have VERY flexible hours. I could leave later and miss some of the nasty ole traffic that way. I go there this afternoon. Lee’s gonna come home and watch the kids sleep or heal or whatever it is they will be doing.

5. And lest we forget, the company that supports nonprofit organizations, where I interviewed last spring, has asked me to come in next week on Tuesday to talk to them about a position that sounds even better than the other one. I’d still really like to work there—I do understand nonprofits and their needs—just have to do a better job convincing them of it than I did last time.

That’s a lot of possibilities, not to mention the one I interviewed for at ALE before Christmas, which I hope to hear more from (the one with the best compensation package of all the jobs so far) and the video game place that still never managed to contact me…and the places I applied to in the meantime!

PS: More in the morning, an interview report and kid tooth fun. Not fun.

Resolute

This time of year everyone publishes resolutions or "challenges" to themselves.

I resolve only to try to get a reasonable job that has benefits, but I won't berate myself if I can't. I will just do the best I can.

It's just too much pressure to try to force myself to knit a hundred socks or do a random act of kindness a day or give a thousand bucks or whatever. I have enough self-imposed pressure. Perhaps asking myself to do the very best I can, and be gentle with myself if I don't live up to my own standards would be the best thing for me this year.
The pictures today are our New Year's photos, taken when Lee and I got back from the quiet celebration we had with friends (thankfully the bad behavior and "too much fun" days are long gone in that social circle). I wore my new scarf and the vest that my dad had gotten me for Christmas, and Lee wore his ever-popular camel-hair jacket, which is so much fun to pet. The leis were party decorations from the big champagne and horn blowing at midnight.

While we were out, Beccano had been busy. He made himself a festive New Year's pirate mask from the vast expanse of black cloth he recently had us buy for him. Soon I will teach him how to cut cloth in a straight line, which I wish I had thought of before he tore into his 3 yards of black cloth!

No photo of Tuba Boy, who was at his friend's house with the other Debate Boys and associates. He came home at quite a reasonable hour, however.

We spent New Year's Day relatively quietly. I knitted, talked to my parents and Jeff (still in Florida with his mother), cooked the black eyed peas, collards and such, and started taking down Christmas decorations. That, and looking for work, are the big plans for today. I am ready for the phone to start ringing and the email to begin. I simply EXUDE positive energy, regardless of the dismal tarot cards I keep drawing!