It seems my life of leisure has kept me off the blog for a bit! And not much has changed! I dragged myself back to the gym today for the first time in two weeks and felt, ironically, just as sapped of energy as I did on the day of my most recent blog nearly three weeks ago! I attribute today's lack of motivation to the extra five pounds I seem to be hauling around as well as the general post-excitement letdown that follows a period of flurrying activity.
Thanksgiving was lovely - M and her roommate arrived on time and they spent a pretty low-key few days here. We had eight for Thanksgiving dinner and everything came out just wonderfully despite the fact that the pop-up timer popped an hour sooner than expected. I had bought a three crock-pot unit for the side dishes so they would stay warm while we waited for the bird, but they were not even prepared when the popper popped! But it all worked out, and everything was great. Well, except for B, who cut off the tip of one of his fingers chopping carrots for the meal. All was good, though, because the injury allowed him to exempt himself from any further service, and to sit for an hour with the hand elevated and watch a movie on his laptop. As of today, we are down to a bandaid for a cover, and I can see new skin beginning to form.
Otherwise, my professional life remains mundane. I was selected for participation in a workshop through the state, so I and about 50 or so other misfortunate souls gathered at the reemployment office to listen to our fate for the next month. We are to report back three times within this period, and we must document our work search efforts as well as bring resumes along for critique. A motley crowd we were, too, although I will say that the average age was perhaps even a few years greater than my own, which was interesting. I did somehow manage to secure a telephone interview for another job I had applied for online, but I have the feeling I just didn't quite answer half the questions correctly (that would be one of the two) so I may be among the group not granted the in-person follow-up. I'm to hear on this by the end of the week. If I do not, I am just to surmise that my rejection is complete.
And so there it is. I have passed some time by enlisting as an SPCA volunteer. I am a certified cat entertainer now. I completed my training on Saturday. So I go in and sit with the cats and pet them and play with them, and they sneeze all over me. Tonight I went out to the dollar store for a bag of tricks that I can bring the next time I go. My own neglected feline friends ripped everything out of the bag within two minutes of my having placed it on the table! After that we had a great time with all the feather toys, mousies and laser pointers. I hope my SPCA friends don't mind slightly used offerings. Even the dogs got in on the festivities. One of the toys I got for the resident kitties was a puff on a spring, attached to a carpeted square. I put that down by the front door, and five minutes later found it soaking wet on the opposite side of the house.
But in other news, today is Kevin's original birthday, but he prefers to acknowledge the event tomorrow; which he will do in Scandinavia. At the time of this writing he is en route to Finland, to return on Thursday afternoon. B had the day off from school today, so he will have a hard time shifting himself back into gear tomorrow. And as for me, I'm just thankful to have had a nice holiday, and a relatively presentable house!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
hope through the fog
What a miserable morning! The fog was so thick you couldn't see to the end of the block. A perfect day for a two-fer-one filling endured with severely chapped and unhealing lips! My lips have been so sore and dry and burning that I almost canceled this awful appointment, but in the end I felt like they would never heal anyway, so might as well just get it over with. Also, I have an appointment with the dermatologist tomorrow (the last of my scheduled torture sessions) so if there's a recurrence, maybe he can help me.
But the fog has lifted and the sun is shining, whether or not this is a metaphor for my near future I will soon see. I spent the better part of the morning just waiting to get feeling back in my lip, nose and eye but also enjoying the lack of the burning sensation! That has returned, unfortunately, but the good news is so has the rest of my face. Now if only I were motivated to do anything.
Yesterday was not a good day. I know why. It's because when I was driving to the Y in the morning, I was just driving along when a work van suddenly drifted out of its parking spot right into my path! I was so mad! So of course, I cursed him: "I hope you have a terrible day!" I hollered at the back of his truck, through the ladders and ropes. Punctuated with a glare when I passed him at a stop sign, I do believe that my curse came back to stick to me instead.
First, I had no energy at the Y. I have been battling a muscle pain in my hip since the summer and it flared up during the workout. The two machines that I like to use were both occupied, so I had to settle for one that faces a wall. Then, when I reached the indoor track to do my laps, the preschool exercise class came up and pitter-pattered around while their mothers recorded the event on their iphones! None of his phased me much, because, as you're probably thinking, this is pretty much a normal day for me so far. But it didn't really end there.
As the day wore on, I received in my email TWO rejections from online job submissions. Plans I had made to "mall walk" with a friend were foiled when B stayed at school longer than usual, and darkness fell. Not wanting him to suffer a goring at the antlers of a doe-hunting buck while walking home, I put his warm food in the microwave and waited around to pick him up. Then, while racing to get to the mall to get in a few quick laps, I came to a grinding halt in the mess of traffic, having completely forgotten that the rest of the world still goes to and comes home from work at a certain time every day.
But I got there and had a nice couple of laps and a few toothpick-servings of dueling Chinese/Japanese fast food offerings on the way. Thinking maybe God thought I'd learned my lesson, I decided it would probably be best just to keep to myself. Incidentally, I never did hear back from that interview a few weeks ago. Or so I thought. Kevin got home from work and announced a letter from them! It must have been sitting there since the day before, when I had my hands full and dragged up the empty garbage cans, wrapping the small mail in the large and then just setting it down amidst the mess, never to be given a second thought. Until the twist of the knife. Of course, it said, "NO JOB FOR YOU!" So, after that I went to bed.
And in other news, today will be the day that B finds out if he has secured a role on the mock trial team. I hope that he does, because two years ago he did not, he was told he was a "juror" and I had to drive him back and forth to the courthouse for the "trial" and all he did was sit there and listen. The "jurors" don't do anything because the judge decides the case; and he is an actual lawyer who volunteers to sit as judge. Then last year he wasn't able to make it that far because he decided to do swim team and had to start going to practices. This year, he isn't doing swimming and he's been to every meeting. But he's also working on the stage crew and they have their final meeting preparing for the play (which starts tomorrow) so if he gets put on the jury, he said he'd just leave and go to where he's really needed. So, fingers are crossed. More on that later!
Oh! And why did I forget? The meeting with the 'friend' of my former employer actually went quite well. I am, I have to admit, cautiously optimistic. But he's a pretty busy dude, so I hope that when the time comes, he remembers that he said he would help me. I'll follow up with pestering emails. So that's that.
But the fog has lifted and the sun is shining, whether or not this is a metaphor for my near future I will soon see. I spent the better part of the morning just waiting to get feeling back in my lip, nose and eye but also enjoying the lack of the burning sensation! That has returned, unfortunately, but the good news is so has the rest of my face. Now if only I were motivated to do anything.
Yesterday was not a good day. I know why. It's because when I was driving to the Y in the morning, I was just driving along when a work van suddenly drifted out of its parking spot right into my path! I was so mad! So of course, I cursed him: "I hope you have a terrible day!" I hollered at the back of his truck, through the ladders and ropes. Punctuated with a glare when I passed him at a stop sign, I do believe that my curse came back to stick to me instead.
First, I had no energy at the Y. I have been battling a muscle pain in my hip since the summer and it flared up during the workout. The two machines that I like to use were both occupied, so I had to settle for one that faces a wall. Then, when I reached the indoor track to do my laps, the preschool exercise class came up and pitter-pattered around while their mothers recorded the event on their iphones! None of his phased me much, because, as you're probably thinking, this is pretty much a normal day for me so far. But it didn't really end there.
As the day wore on, I received in my email TWO rejections from online job submissions. Plans I had made to "mall walk" with a friend were foiled when B stayed at school longer than usual, and darkness fell. Not wanting him to suffer a goring at the antlers of a doe-hunting buck while walking home, I put his warm food in the microwave and waited around to pick him up. Then, while racing to get to the mall to get in a few quick laps, I came to a grinding halt in the mess of traffic, having completely forgotten that the rest of the world still goes to and comes home from work at a certain time every day.
But I got there and had a nice couple of laps and a few toothpick-servings of dueling Chinese/Japanese fast food offerings on the way. Thinking maybe God thought I'd learned my lesson, I decided it would probably be best just to keep to myself. Incidentally, I never did hear back from that interview a few weeks ago. Or so I thought. Kevin got home from work and announced a letter from them! It must have been sitting there since the day before, when I had my hands full and dragged up the empty garbage cans, wrapping the small mail in the large and then just setting it down amidst the mess, never to be given a second thought. Until the twist of the knife. Of course, it said, "NO JOB FOR YOU!" So, after that I went to bed.
And in other news, today will be the day that B finds out if he has secured a role on the mock trial team. I hope that he does, because two years ago he did not, he was told he was a "juror" and I had to drive him back and forth to the courthouse for the "trial" and all he did was sit there and listen. The "jurors" don't do anything because the judge decides the case; and he is an actual lawyer who volunteers to sit as judge. Then last year he wasn't able to make it that far because he decided to do swim team and had to start going to practices. This year, he isn't doing swimming and he's been to every meeting. But he's also working on the stage crew and they have their final meeting preparing for the play (which starts tomorrow) so if he gets put on the jury, he said he'd just leave and go to where he's really needed. So, fingers are crossed. More on that later!
Oh! And why did I forget? The meeting with the 'friend' of my former employer actually went quite well. I am, I have to admit, cautiously optimistic. But he's a pretty busy dude, so I hope that when the time comes, he remembers that he said he would help me. I'll follow up with pestering emails. So that's that.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
week three is underway
And alas ... it happened. I have settled into complacency. I think I have applied for every listed position at every major university, hospital, business and employment agency in the NJ area, and as well as a few in NY. My careerbuilder and monster daily updates contain nothing but jobs I've already seen and submitted. And still I wait. No word on the interview from two weeks ago either. And remarkably, I don't even feel sad. Insulted, of course; not sad. That must be significant.
Over these three weeks, I've had a continuous onslaught of miserable personal appointments. I suppose it's convenient that all of this takes place with no disruption to an employer, but it sure is making it difficult for me to appreciate this little home-time I've suddenly been granted. On the other hand, being able to go to the gym whenever I want, be home when B gets back from school, and wander the empty house without interruption does soften the blow. And I *have* gone to the gym! Four times so far, and I'll go two more this week! I also replenished my supply of jeans, since the same few pairs were plenty when I wore work clothes five days a week. (Maybe I should have waited for the gym results to set in!)
I wander around town and everywhere I go, I bump into someone from my former life, when I didn't spend seven hours a day at a desk, wondering where my boss was and if he had anything he needed done. It reminds me of just how miserable I really was there, and how I need to focus on making the right move for my next chapter rather than jump into something that leads to nowhere and returns nothing.
Today is a noteworthy day, because I have a meeting with a cohort of my former employer; the poor man agreed to the meeting just to get the former boss off his back, and he has already rescheduled me once. I almost feel sorry that I have to take up his time, but I'll try to shake that feeling by the time I step into his office.I also discovered that there was also a career fair to which I had been 'invited.' I thought the fair was tomorrow, but in my spam folder this morning I found a notice that the day had arrived - today. Sad to say, I won't be able to make it due to the conflict with the aforementioned meeting. This revelation was not hard to accept: every single company is either an insurance/financial services firm looking for salespeople or an employment agency.
On the home front, we had a great weekend driving down to Virginia for M's meet. The girls did great, they did not expect to win any of the meets but in fact they beat two of the other four teams. A couple of the freshmen, one especially, are exceptional, and there are a few strong older girls as well. M is pushing herself harder than she ever did at this point in the season and her times are reflective of the effort. Unfortunately, in this D1 arena, those times aren't quite enough! I also believe she is training for distance, which is slowing her down on some of the shorter races. Her longer events are consistently impressive compared to past years' performances. It will be interesting to see how she does next weekend, when they rest for the meet in Boston.
And in other news, B has managed to complete the first marking period with only one grade below a B, and a GPA for the marking period in the low/mid-80s. This may not sound impressive but at his school and with his record, it's cause for celebration. He's also continuing with the tech crew, waiting to hear if he has a role for mock trial, attending the law explorers meetings and volunteering at the nursing home. He met with a guidance counselor yesterday who really wasn't too helpful other than suggesting a couple of 'safety' schools, which is where we were coming up short. It's really easy to come up with a long list of reach schools! But still we await the PSATs and then have to schedule the SATs before any of it means anything concrete.
Over these three weeks, I've had a continuous onslaught of miserable personal appointments. I suppose it's convenient that all of this takes place with no disruption to an employer, but it sure is making it difficult for me to appreciate this little home-time I've suddenly been granted. On the other hand, being able to go to the gym whenever I want, be home when B gets back from school, and wander the empty house without interruption does soften the blow. And I *have* gone to the gym! Four times so far, and I'll go two more this week! I also replenished my supply of jeans, since the same few pairs were plenty when I wore work clothes five days a week. (Maybe I should have waited for the gym results to set in!)
I wander around town and everywhere I go, I bump into someone from my former life, when I didn't spend seven hours a day at a desk, wondering where my boss was and if he had anything he needed done. It reminds me of just how miserable I really was there, and how I need to focus on making the right move for my next chapter rather than jump into something that leads to nowhere and returns nothing.
Today is a noteworthy day, because I have a meeting with a cohort of my former employer; the poor man agreed to the meeting just to get the former boss off his back, and he has already rescheduled me once. I almost feel sorry that I have to take up his time, but I'll try to shake that feeling by the time I step into his office.I also discovered that there was also a career fair to which I had been 'invited.' I thought the fair was tomorrow, but in my spam folder this morning I found a notice that the day had arrived - today. Sad to say, I won't be able to make it due to the conflict with the aforementioned meeting. This revelation was not hard to accept: every single company is either an insurance/financial services firm looking for salespeople or an employment agency.
On the home front, we had a great weekend driving down to Virginia for M's meet. The girls did great, they did not expect to win any of the meets but in fact they beat two of the other four teams. A couple of the freshmen, one especially, are exceptional, and there are a few strong older girls as well. M is pushing herself harder than she ever did at this point in the season and her times are reflective of the effort. Unfortunately, in this D1 arena, those times aren't quite enough! I also believe she is training for distance, which is slowing her down on some of the shorter races. Her longer events are consistently impressive compared to past years' performances. It will be interesting to see how she does next weekend, when they rest for the meet in Boston.
And in other news, B has managed to complete the first marking period with only one grade below a B, and a GPA for the marking period in the low/mid-80s. This may not sound impressive but at his school and with his record, it's cause for celebration. He's also continuing with the tech crew, waiting to hear if he has a role for mock trial, attending the law explorers meetings and volunteering at the nursing home. He met with a guidance counselor yesterday who really wasn't too helpful other than suggesting a couple of 'safety' schools, which is where we were coming up short. It's really easy to come up with a long list of reach schools! But still we await the PSATs and then have to schedule the SATs before any of it means anything concrete.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
just me and the other 6,999,999,999 people applying for those jobs
So I am officially on the unemployment line now. Thank goodness they do it all electronically these days, but even that has been a pain and I've been amazed at the amount of correspondence they sent. Maybe they could save some of that tax money if they would wait and send one comprehensive notice. First they told me they had received my claim, then they sent me the amount I would get. The next day I got a letter telling me that I had to have a fact-finding interview because I "may be receiving wages" after my last day of work (I'm not so I got that canceled at least). Then they sent me a hard copy of a handbook which I had been linked to and told "you will not receive this by mail so bookmark it." And yesterday I received a prepaid debit card on which I will be paid unless I sign up for direct deposit (which I was pretty sure I had done).
Anyway, tomorrow is the first day for me to certify my benefits. I'll see what happens after that.
As for the job search, it's bleak. I send out about ten or more resumes a week, mostly online either through one of the job sites or directly on an employer's website. I have filled in so many that I had to start a spreadsheet to track them, and still I don't even get a call. I have a meeting with a contact from my former boss next week, and I also signed up for a job fair which I found about via email from the state. I had an interview last week but although I felt I had a good rapport with the woman who interviewed me, I carried out the fear that I don't have the background they're looking for. That's the problem today. Any one person might be perfectly capable of performing these jobs and performing them well. But the odds are that at least one of the other 6,999,999,999 people will have done *exactly* what they want, and will know the exact computer software and office procedures.
So I sit at home and wait for something to happen.
It's very inefficient, too, this having nothing to do. The dogs follow me around every time I stand up, expecting great fun to materialize with each move I make. So we go for a walk and they get barked at, they bark at me when I stop to talk to neighbors, dogs chase us, one chases cars, the other chases squirrels, and I vow to never walk them again! I think we'll try the dog park this afternoon.
Otherwise, even the house cleaning proves elusive. I should probably just buckle down and do it but with such a vast expanse of TIME, what is the hurry? Not like it's going anywhere and maybe I'll need something to do tomorrow! At least this week I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. But it's 45 minutes away and it's at 8am, because I made it nice and early so I wouldn't be very late for work.
And in other news, B's marking period is winding down and he is doing OK. At least he is showing a great interest in the college search and his top choices are out of his current range of GPA and PSAT scores. Of course, we will get the new PSAT scores next month and that will put him on a track for the SATs, which I guess he will take in March, if not before. He's also doing a law explorer program and volunteering at the nursing home, in addition to a couple of clubs at school. He won't swim this year, but I think that is the right choice. The commitment of time and money just don't justify the return that he receives, because he'd have to give up everything else that I just mentioned.
M should be coming into midterms but I have stopped asking after the jolt of her anatomy immersion shock (the bad first test, which was rectified by the second but I figured it stresses us both more if I keep asking) so we won't know how she has done until grades are posted somewhere, whenever that is. We will see her this weekend, probably briefly and from afar, when she swims in their meet in Virginia. Then in two weeks we go back to Boston, and after that, Thanksgiving! Time flies. I should probably put my time at home to better use.
Anyway, tomorrow is the first day for me to certify my benefits. I'll see what happens after that.
As for the job search, it's bleak. I send out about ten or more resumes a week, mostly online either through one of the job sites or directly on an employer's website. I have filled in so many that I had to start a spreadsheet to track them, and still I don't even get a call. I have a meeting with a contact from my former boss next week, and I also signed up for a job fair which I found about via email from the state. I had an interview last week but although I felt I had a good rapport with the woman who interviewed me, I carried out the fear that I don't have the background they're looking for. That's the problem today. Any one person might be perfectly capable of performing these jobs and performing them well. But the odds are that at least one of the other 6,999,999,999 people will have done *exactly* what they want, and will know the exact computer software and office procedures.
So I sit at home and wait for something to happen.
It's very inefficient, too, this having nothing to do. The dogs follow me around every time I stand up, expecting great fun to materialize with each move I make. So we go for a walk and they get barked at, they bark at me when I stop to talk to neighbors, dogs chase us, one chases cars, the other chases squirrels, and I vow to never walk them again! I think we'll try the dog park this afternoon.
Otherwise, even the house cleaning proves elusive. I should probably just buckle down and do it but with such a vast expanse of TIME, what is the hurry? Not like it's going anywhere and maybe I'll need something to do tomorrow! At least this week I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. But it's 45 minutes away and it's at 8am, because I made it nice and early so I wouldn't be very late for work.
And in other news, B's marking period is winding down and he is doing OK. At least he is showing a great interest in the college search and his top choices are out of his current range of GPA and PSAT scores. Of course, we will get the new PSAT scores next month and that will put him on a track for the SATs, which I guess he will take in March, if not before. He's also doing a law explorer program and volunteering at the nursing home, in addition to a couple of clubs at school. He won't swim this year, but I think that is the right choice. The commitment of time and money just don't justify the return that he receives, because he'd have to give up everything else that I just mentioned.
M should be coming into midterms but I have stopped asking after the jolt of her anatomy immersion shock (the bad first test, which was rectified by the second but I figured it stresses us both more if I keep asking) so we won't know how she has done until grades are posted somewhere, whenever that is. We will see her this weekend, probably briefly and from afar, when she swims in their meet in Virginia. Then in two weeks we go back to Boston, and after that, Thanksgiving! Time flies. I should probably put my time at home to better use.
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