The New Deal

No, I'm not talking about FDR's plan for reversing the Great Depression. Though, I am talking about MY revised plan for dealing with the current recession. While I am still applying (and lately, interviewing!) for full-time positions, I've decided on a new plan of action.

Last week, after being inspired by a few friends, I've decided that I want to go back to school to earn a Certificate in Web Design. While that is my ultimate goal for the next year, I will also need to find a part-time position to pay my necessary bills (books, rent, credit cards, etc.). So far the part-time job is proving to be the difficult part. I have to be able to make a pretty big chunk of money to cover all of my necessities.

I've done some research on a few retail and barista positions in the area, but I'm afraid none of them pay enough.

I've also still been interviewing for full-time positions. Yesterday, I had a phone interview for a job with a non-profit that I'm really interested in working with. But it could be a few weeks before I know if that position is mine. This afternoon, I have an interview with a local radio station for a sales/promotions assistant. I'm not sure how I feel about the position, but if they'd be willing to work with a school schedule, it's definitely something I would consider.

I feel that right now, school would be the most important thing, though. It would give me a new direction, which is what I've been looking for since I was laid-off in January.

So here's the future, and a new direction!

On a Mission

Perhaps it's the fact that all of my employed friends have decided to enter the Real Estate market or perhaps I've been watching too much HGTV, but I am desperate to buy a house!

B and I have been in discussions about it for the last week, but unfortunately with my current unemployed status, we cannot qualify for a mortgage loan (not as individuals, nor as a couple). I've done a lot of surfing of real estate websites during the last week, and we already have a few that we both agree on, price-wise and location wise.  Now there's only one thing left: I need to find a job.

Tonight I've decided to hit the job market hard. I have been looking and applying everyday, but I haven't done the best job of following up on positions (mostly because the jobs are via craigslist ads with no contact info posted).

I've recently come across a few positions that I am extremely interested in, and I've made reminders to myself to follow up in a week.

I also need to try to work my connections a little harder. My mother and Grandmother know everyone in my hometown. There's got to be away to utilize those contacts to obtain a position in my current city.

With a little persistence and a lot of prayer, I'm hoping to be back to work within 10 weeks.  Wish me luck!

To buy or not to buy...

If you haven't heard, mortgage interest rates are low. Real low. And a lot of markets in the U.S. are flooded with inventory. I really want to buy a house.

Prices in the Seattle are finally looking like they're coming down a bit. A good friend of mine just recently bought a condo in a little town a few miles north of the city, and I found the cutest little house not too far from her that is right in B's price range. I want it. It's not a very big house, but it's on a huge lot. I would buy it myself, but I still haven't found a job.

It's been over 2 months, and I've still only had 2 job interviews. It's very frustrating. I feel like I've applied for every open position in the city and surrounding areas.

What's most frustrating is that one of my goals for this year was to purchase a house. Just before I was laid-off, I'd put a bid in on a house. I was outbid (which turned out perfect for my situation), but I still desperately want to own my own little property. I've had this strong urge to nest. To paint walls and decorate and garden and make a house into a home.

::sigh:: Someone please hire me, so I can qualify for a home loan!

Dropping the Hint...or smacking him in the face with it

B has come into some money recently. Last year he was in an accident on his bicycle, and he just recently received a settlement for his injuries. (Someone opened their car door in front of him, and he flew over the door and handle bars and landed on his head and broke his arm. Thank God he was wearing his helmet!)

We've been dealing with lawyers and stuff for the last 6 months, so we knew that the money was coming. Which means, of course, that we already have plans for what should be done with it.

Without my bringing it up, he's decided to spend some of the money on an important piece of jewelry for me. I don't want to be picky, but, like most women I'm sure, I have an idea of what I want my "jewelry" to look like. And since we found out when he'd be getting his money, I've been doing some research on the Internet to find a good specimen to show to him. I've sent him a few ideas over the last week, and even though it was his idea in the first place, I feel a little shy about it. I don't want to come across as pushy or anything. Plus, I know that we have slightly different taste in what "jewelry" is best. (I like a slightly more detailed band (sidestones, etc), and he likes the solitaire thing.)

He told me last week not to worry about sending those types of emails to him, but I still feel weird about it. I don't want him to feel like I'm in a huge rush to have some new bling on my finger, and I definitely don't want him to spend all of his money on me...unless it's on a trip to somewhere sunny and warm where I can spend a week lying on the beach reading book after book.

To Workout or Not to Workout

I have spent the last year or so trying to motivate myself into the habit of working out on a regular basis. I've been paying for a gym membership every month for the last year and a half, and for a while I was doing a good job of using it a few times a week. But since losing my job downtown, where my gym is, I've been finding it difficult to get there. And though my gym is now inconvenient, I know that there are other ways to get in exercise. I mean, really, what else have I got to do all day?

For a while, I was getting my exercise through playing Wii Fit. It's fun, holds you accountable, and its a pretty good workout! But since I don't own the Wii myself (its at B's house), it's hard to do everyday.

I've tried to convince myself that it'd be great to get out and go for a walk everyday. There are a number of good Seattle parks within 5 miles of my house. But then it rains, or I find something to do that does not involve moving around.

In my 25 years, I have not had to work very hard to maintain my weight. I have my squishy parts, but overall I am a healthy weight for my height. I know that my time of fast metabolisms and eating junk food without gaining weight are quickly coming to an end, and that I need to get in the exercising habit ASAP, but I just can't seem to find the motivation.

B has even expressed worry that once we're married I'll "let myself go." I assured him that I won't. I don't like to be round, it's not a good look for me (puberty was mean to me when it came to my weight, so I know what round looks like on me). Of all the things he's worried about in life, his main concern for our future is my putting on a few pounds. I told him to put his worries toward something more important, like money.

I keep telling myself that once I get another job downtown, I'll be in the gym everyday during lunch. How likely is that in reality? From my past track record... probably not that likely. But a girl can dream, right?

Why can't health and looking good just occur naturally? I guess it's just like everything else in life. Anything worth having is worth working for. I'll try to remember that in all aspects of my life from now on.

Well, I guess I'll go for a walk...

Sandwich Board Resume?

I just finished reading an article B sent me about one of his ex-girlfriends. Weird, I know, but he thought it might help improve my job search, or at least give me a few ideas.

Apparently this girl has taken to the street corners to find herself a new job (...not like that). The article was written by a friend of hers, i assume, and there's a picture of her standing outside with a picket-style sign advertising her college degree, her unemployed status, and an email address where she can be reached. I may be (and probably am) biased, but I'm not impressed by her boldness.

The article's author encourages this sort of splendiferous behavior as a way of getting the attention of potential employers. He starts off with taking to the street, but the majority of his suggested routes are taken via the internet. The author encourages the use of YouTube, Twitter, Blogs, and other social networking sites to stand out from the everyday resume. Add something to your paper to market yourself in a stand-out way. This makes sense. Adding something on top of your resume to be remembered by; put a face and personality with your name on the page. OK. Good advice. There has to be something special about you to get you in the door for an interview. But isn't that what coverletters are for?

But my question is: Does standing on a street corner give someone an edge in the job market? Is it likely that a potential boss will see and remember your email as s/he flies by in a car? How well are you marketing yourself by standing outside? From what I imagine, you're just a person with a sign...

What is it that makes a resume standout? And how far is too far when it comes to finding a job?

More snow!?

Usually by the end of February in Seattle, spring has started to, well, spring in this part of the country. But this morning the city woke up to two inches of snow on the ground! (I know it doesn't sound like much, but 2 inches is like a blizzard here. The city pretty much shuts down after half-an-inch.)

I had a job interview at 9 this morning, and was worried that the snow would interfere. I made sure to leave extra early. When I got there, half of the people interviewing me weren't in yet due to the weather's averse affects on public transportation. I didn't have to wait too long, though.

The interview went well, I think. Everyone was really nice, and I really liked the office. The work is similar to the last job I had, focusin on all the parts I liked about my last part with very little of the stuff that wasn't my favorite. It seems promising, and I really hope I get it!

They said they hope to get back to me by tomorrow to let me know if they'd like to set up a second interview (not really an interview, it sounded like more of a meet & greet with a technical test added on).

I feel really good about my interview, and I'm really excited. I hope I get the job!

I also hope the snow stays away from now until next winter!

Teaching Text Messaging

It's a very stormy day today. The rain is off and on, but when it rains it pours, literally. I love this type of weather, especially when I don't have to go anywhere. Unfortunately today is not a day for me to sit and listen to the rain.

I promised a friend of my aunt's that I would teach her how to text message. I'm a little nervous about this adventure, as I'm not sure texting is really something you can teach.

When my aunt called me last week to ask if I could do it, I told her that I wasn't sure I'd know how to teach someone. She insisted that her friend was very teachable, and I tried to explain to her that I don't doubt her friend's learning ability it's just that no one taught me how to text. I think the best way to learn it is to do it. 

I've asked a few of my friends if someone taught them, and most of them said no. I tried thinking back to my own learning experience, and I don't remember it. It's just something I started doing one day, and kept doing.

When I lost my job in January, I briefly considered going back to school to earn my teaching certificate. But then I remembered that I'm not patient enough to be a teacher. I've tried to teach my grandpa a few things on his computer, but I usually speed through things too fast, and then get frustrated if someone misses what I said.  ...yeah, no teaching career for me.

At present, I am trying to focus on the art of being patient. If I can go slow and just keep explaining, hopefully we can both get through this experience without too much frustration...

I'm nervous...

The Joys of Womanhood

I just watched the trailer for the upcoming episodes of MTV's The Hills coming sometime this spring. (NOT the 5th season, but an extension of season 4, the ad made that VERY clear.) Despite all of the news about the show being staged, it's still one of my favorites. While watching the trailer I found myself close to tears at the possibility of a Heidi-Lauren reunion.

The tears are probably just a sign of my fast-approaching "exclamation point" (the term B uses to refer to my special, womanly time of month. Isn't he so clever? [insert eye-rolling here]).

Isn't it funny, or not so much, how the slightest little thing can send a pre-menstrual woman into fits of sobs? I've been living in this land of limbo for the last week or so. On top of spontaneous tears, cramps are also apart of my current daily routine. As I explained to B earlier, it feels as though my women parts are performing karate in my lower abdomen, attempting to fight their way out. He laughed at my description, but it really is no laughing matter. I almost wish they would escape so that my discomfort would cease. But I guess I should get used to it as I have at least another 30 years of this discomfort.

The cruelest part of this, in my opinion, is that my week has not yet begun for this month. It's simply a teaser for what's to come.

In addition to the hand that nature dealt to me, I submit myself to numerous tortures on a daily or weekly basis. Plucking hairs from my face, legs, underarms and unmentionables; Burning my naturally curly head of hair flat.

I'm expected to look and smell nice, all while being polite and hiding the gross parts of being a girl.

Yay...

New Kitchen Cabinets: A job well done

B and I spent the weekend at his parents home, about 30 minutes south of Seattle, in the city of Puyallup.

His dad is a self-employed artist, and his mom works in an elementary school close to their house, and like everyone these days, they're on a strict budget. Over the last year or so, B's mom has taken on multiple DIY home improvement projects to update their 1960s style home, and turn it into something a little more stylish and comfortable. Task by task she's slowly making over the house, starting with the kitchen. This weekend was the cabinets.

A small army of us, including B, myself, his brother, brother's fiancee, and a handful of cousins, converged on the house the to stain every cabinet in their small kitchen. Because of the nature of the varnish and the fact that we couldn't tear  the cabinet casings off of the walls, 5 very thin coats of varathane are needed to cover and seal the hanging cabinets while preventing unsightly drips (the doors were easier. We took those off and laid them flat, eliminating potential drip hazard).

The once old and fading cabinets are on their way to becoming a beautiful new Golden Mahogany color that should last for years to come.

B and I were able to help get 3 coats on before the end of Sunday afternoon. But due to time constraints, we weren't able to finish all the coats of varnish (the stuff takes 4 hours to dry!), leaving B's mom to complete the last two applications on her own. Thanks to a helpful family, she wasn't stuck staining and varnishing an entire kitchen by herself.

This weekend, while we were in the midst of our project, B's mom expressed her gratitude to us all by saying how she never would have been brave enough to begin this project on her own. She thanked us all for helping and said that she it's so much easier to start a big project like that knowing that there are so many people willing to help. 

In easier times, a lot of people are more likely to hire someone to get in and get the project done, but there's something to be said for completing such a project yourself (and/or with the help of loved ones). We all got the chance for a great bonding experience this weekend, and now everytime they look at their new cabinets they'll have the memories of this weekend to go along with the pride of a job well done.

A Relationship Reality Slap

I've mentioned him before, and I believe I said we've been together for nearly 18 months. I'm talking about my boyfriend, B ( full name withheld to protect him from possible, and likely, embarrassment). We've been dating since October of 2007...minus 3 days. I'll explain.

A few months ago, I was on cloud nine. Floating blissfully along in my own little world of being "in love." I'd lost my job, therefore having to leave an apartment I could no longer afford, but all of that was OK, because I had him. On the day I was laid-off, I called him right away. He took a break from work and drove to rescue me from my downtown high-rise prison. After his break, he even let me borrow his car so that I wouldn't have to tote the contents of my cubicle on the bus to get home. He was my hero.

Two weeks ago, on the night before I was to be moving out of my 1 bedroom apartment and into a townhouse with roommates (AAH!), B sprung something on me that I was not at all expecting, and at first I didn't believe him (he'd had a few drinks and we were arguing...). He said that he was leaving. Forever. That it was something he'd been thinking about, and that he didn't think we were right for each other. My heart shattered and I felt the jagged pieces scatter onto my living room carpet.

But then he wouldn't physically leave! He said he didn't want to leave me alone (plus, I'd picked him up. He didn't have a car at my place), that he was afraid I'd do something drastic. I'm not the type for those things. But I let him stay because I needed him to help me move my things the next morning.

It was a rough day of moving. My parents came to help which just added to the awkward sadness of the situation.  By the end of that day, he'd changed his mind. He insisted he'd made a mistake and asked if we could just forget that it ever happened and go back to normal. I told him no. There was a reason he'd been thinking about it for months and finally found it necessary to follow-through. I told him we'd give it a week, think things through, let it marinate, and if he still wanted to get back together, then he could call me after 7 days. 

The days following were miserable. I spent most of my time curled up, crying into a pillow. But I did question whether or not he might have been right to do what he did. Our honeymoon phase had been over for a while, we were comfortable. Was I only wanting to stay with him because he was what I knew? I thought it'd take me longer, but after 12 hours of being without him I'd made up my mind. Yes, we were comfortable, but not in a negative sense. We were everything we should've been to make it last forever. I was willing to work to keep him. And as long as he came to the same conclusion, I knew everything would work out. Forever.

After 3 days apart, he showed up at my new place. Throwing rocks at my window to get my attention, and holding a bouquet of pink tulips. I told him I was happy he didn't wait the whole week (I'd been contemplating going after him myself, but felt it only fair to give him time). 

It's been 3 weeks since then, and we're nearly back to where we were. I'm back up on my "in love" cloud, but this time I'm anchored with the reality that love isn't perfect. There are fights and hurt feelings right along with hugs and kisses. Life happens, even when you're in love. Relationships and marriages last when you're willing to work on them.

Surviving Unemployment

In these dark economic times, I'm sure there are a number of people that find themselves in my position: Unemployed.

For the last, 6 weeks, I have spent, what feels like a million hours with my laptop, writing, revising, tweaking and sending out resume after resume. ...and so far, I've received one, solitary interview request, which proved unproductive because the job wouldn't pay enough to cover all of my bills.

I've started to brainstorm other things I could be doing to make money, so that I don't feel quite as helpless. So far, the only thing I can come up with is writing a novel, I've always wanted to do that. I've begun to write a few things down. But, as B so politely pointed out the other day, writing the book might not the hardest part when compared with actually publishing one. ...Thanks, Mr. Partypooper.

As I adjust to days spent on my own, I find myself getting comfortable without a job; Sleeping in, daily talkshows, whatever else I feel like doing...  It's hard to see myself back in an office. Especially as spring and summer approach, and Seattle is slowly starting to show it's pretty colors and warmer temperatures again. While it's very tempting to coast through the rest of my life with no job, after a while, when my money's run out, I'd get hungry.

So everyday, I continue the job search. Applying for anything and everything I might be qualified for.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll have a new job before the end of springtime, and I won't have to burn through all of savings paying silly things like bills.

Girlfriends & Me

First a little background information: I'm 25, recently unemployed, and living in Seattle. I have been dating the same guy (B) for nearly 18 months (and we've been talking about forever). This is my first serious relationship, and also the first time I've been without a job since graduating from college 4 years ago. 

Since my boyfriend and I started dating, I realized that I was seriously lacking in the girlfriend department. The previous two years had been spent hanging out with boys, and only 1 or 2 of my acquaintances were girls. Over the last year or so, I've tried to put more effort into finding and cultivating female friendships. I've reconnected with 3 girls I spent all of my freshman year of college with, and I've also been working on trying to be better about keeping up with other old friends. A year or so ago, I joined a women's only bible study at my church to try to connect with some women there. But I've found that making friends with girls in my age group is not an easy task.

I've discussed these difficulties with B. He joined a similar bible study for men just a few weeks ago, and has already made a few new friends that he's been spending time with outside of the bible study. They were arranging hangout sessions after only week 1! It seems that men have a lot less hang-ups than women do when it comes to making new same-sex friends...at least at this age. A lot of the girls in my bible study group have said the same thing; that they joined the group to make new female friends. Because it's difficult in other situations. I told B that I feel like girls are more stand-offish (toward other women, not towards men). Guys are easier to befriend because they seem more open. B said that he's noticed that difference in the sexes, but I really want to make new friends (which I do), then I just have to be persistant and go out of my way to be nice to people, and maybe invite them to do things.  I know he's right... but that doesn't make it any easier.

When did making friends become so tough? I miss the playground days, when it was easy to turn to someone playing near you and ask them to be your best friend, and it'd stick!