Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, October 15, 2010
Pause Button Pushed
I'm having to put the blog on "Pause" for a little while. Between learning the new job, dealing with some extended family issues, and waiting for my new motherboard to arrive and be installed, I just can't give the blog the attention it needs right now. Plus I'm having to cadge time on Daughter's computer to do anything, and that's a royal pain in the whatsit for both of us.
I'm still trying to decide whether to keep it as is, re-title it, or start a new blog and link back to this one. Whatever I decide, you'll know in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, I'd like to thank the kind people who took time to post comments :-) They are like the cherries in fruit salad - not plentiful, but always greeted with gladness.
I'm still trying to decide whether to keep it as is, re-title it, or start a new blog and link back to this one. Whatever I decide, you'll know in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, I'd like to thank the kind people who took time to post comments :-) They are like the cherries in fruit salad - not plentiful, but always greeted with gladness.
Friday, October 1, 2010
At Last!
I GOT THE JOB!!!!!
I start on Monday morning! I couldn't be happier - not only is this job in my field, but it's with people I've worked with before, really like, and get along really well with. I've been doing the happy dance since I found out last night.
I really want to keep on with this blog, though. I enjoy it immensely and it has helped keep me on track with goals other than getting a job ... decluttering, green living, managing my money ... the weight loss & non-smoking not so much (so far). Let's just call me a work-in-progress there, okay?
So since I definitely don't want to give up blogging, I have a question for anyone who's interested:
Should I keep the blog as is?
Should I re-name it (if that's possible) and keep going?
Should I put it to rest and start a new blog?
Please let me know what you think - thanks!
I start on Monday morning! I couldn't be happier - not only is this job in my field, but it's with people I've worked with before, really like, and get along really well with. I've been doing the happy dance since I found out last night.
I really want to keep on with this blog, though. I enjoy it immensely and it has helped keep me on track with goals other than getting a job ... decluttering, green living, managing my money ... the weight loss & non-smoking not so much (so far). Let's just call me a work-in-progress there, okay?
So since I definitely don't want to give up blogging, I have a question for anyone who's interested:
Should I keep the blog as is?
Should I re-name it (if that's possible) and keep going?
Should I put it to rest and start a new blog?
Please let me know what you think - thanks!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Waiting
I seem to be having a couple of weeks of sitting on my hands waiting for one thing after another ...
Finally made it over to Daughter's place again to use her computer ... I could have gone to Mom's place and used hers, but the constant negativity there really weighs me down. She just got a prescription for a new anti-depressant, so we're all waiting to see how well it works for her.
The job fair was kind of a bust ... not a total waste of time, but pretty close. I did connect with a former co-worker who provided a couple of possible leads; I've applied to both, and now - as always - I wait. I also got a call from another former co-worker last Friday; she's now managing a shipping agency, and one of her people just gave notice. She asked for my resume, which I promptly sent her, and said she'll be pushing upper management to let her hire me. Here's hoping!
After much telephoning back and forth, the retailer has provided me with a readable copy of the invoice for my dead motherboard. Tomorrow I'll take it in, request the new one, and arrange for the retailer's tech department to switch over the processor and heat sink. That's a trickily delicate job I'd rather pay a pro to do. I wonder how long I'll be waiting for that? And once I get the new one home, I'll be waiting for my friend the computer builder to get back into town and install everything for me.
I guess my frustration comes from not being able to do the things I feel I should be doing, because I have to wait for other things to happen first. I can't get on with my craft fair projects, or my Christmas gift projects, because there's a disembowelled computer spread across my work surface. I can't get started on next spring's garden planning until Big Guy decides where he wants to put the camper, which can't come off The Truck because it is waiting for him to locate the parts he needs, without which it can't move. I finished a knitting project, but can't start any of the next three until I get downtown to track down the DPNs I need for them. At least I can do that tomorrow, once I'm finished (I hope!) at the computer shop. Then I can really get moving on gifts.
The craft fair stuff, though, is starting to look a little iffy. The deadlines for reserving tables are fast approaching, but I don't want to book and pay for tables when I may not have anything to put on them ... and until my computer is restored I have no space to work on anything saleable. Then again, if any of my recent job applications pan out, doing the craft fairs becomes much less necessary. I like doing them, but it would be nice if I didn't have to do them.
In the meantime, I'm working hard on not taking my frustrations out on my loved ones.
Finally made it over to Daughter's place again to use her computer ... I could have gone to Mom's place and used hers, but the constant negativity there really weighs me down. She just got a prescription for a new anti-depressant, so we're all waiting to see how well it works for her.
The job fair was kind of a bust ... not a total waste of time, but pretty close. I did connect with a former co-worker who provided a couple of possible leads; I've applied to both, and now - as always - I wait. I also got a call from another former co-worker last Friday; she's now managing a shipping agency, and one of her people just gave notice. She asked for my resume, which I promptly sent her, and said she'll be pushing upper management to let her hire me. Here's hoping!
After much telephoning back and forth, the retailer has provided me with a readable copy of the invoice for my dead motherboard. Tomorrow I'll take it in, request the new one, and arrange for the retailer's tech department to switch over the processor and heat sink. That's a trickily delicate job I'd rather pay a pro to do. I wonder how long I'll be waiting for that? And once I get the new one home, I'll be waiting for my friend the computer builder to get back into town and install everything for me.
I guess my frustration comes from not being able to do the things I feel I should be doing, because I have to wait for other things to happen first. I can't get on with my craft fair projects, or my Christmas gift projects, because there's a disembowelled computer spread across my work surface. I can't get started on next spring's garden planning until Big Guy decides where he wants to put the camper, which can't come off The Truck because it is waiting for him to locate the parts he needs, without which it can't move. I finished a knitting project, but can't start any of the next three until I get downtown to track down the DPNs I need for them. At least I can do that tomorrow, once I'm finished (I hope!) at the computer shop. Then I can really get moving on gifts.
The craft fair stuff, though, is starting to look a little iffy. The deadlines for reserving tables are fast approaching, but I don't want to book and pay for tables when I may not have anything to put on them ... and until my computer is restored I have no space to work on anything saleable. Then again, if any of my recent job applications pan out, doing the craft fairs becomes much less necessary. I like doing them, but it would be nice if I didn't have to do them.
In the meantime, I'm working hard on not taking my frustrations out on my loved ones.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sigh ...
My motherboard has toasted itself. It's still under warrantee, though, so all I have to do is disembowel the computer, take the board back to the store where they will replace it, bring it home, and rebuild the computer. In the meantime I have limited use of Daughter's computer. Very limited.
For the first time ever, on Tuesday I will actually be paying to attend a job fair. Only $5.60, and part of that will go to charity, but still ... it just doesn't seem right, somehow. How many good people are going to miss this opportunity because they can't wring another $5.60 out of the grocery budget, or the rent money? Telling myself that the attendance cost cuts down on the competition doesn't make me feel very good either, because anyone who can't afford the entry fee (or the transit fare) is more desperately in need of a job than I am. So I'm trying to just think of it as a necessary investment.
I've printed a few copies of my resume and references to take with me, since there will apparently be spaces set up for on-the-spot interviews, and I also plan to carry a thumb drive with both loaded on it. I've learned that when it comes to job hunting, there's no such thing as being "too prepared". I'll be touching up my roots tonight, and fine-tuning what I'll wear; it will have to be both professional and comfortable, because I may very well be there all day. The hardest part of the process, I think, will be maintaining a positive, upbeat attitude the whole time. Even though I have nothing to lose and possibly a great deal to gain.
For the first time ever, on Tuesday I will actually be paying to attend a job fair. Only $5.60, and part of that will go to charity, but still ... it just doesn't seem right, somehow. How many good people are going to miss this opportunity because they can't wring another $5.60 out of the grocery budget, or the rent money? Telling myself that the attendance cost cuts down on the competition doesn't make me feel very good either, because anyone who can't afford the entry fee (or the transit fare) is more desperately in need of a job than I am. So I'm trying to just think of it as a necessary investment.
I've printed a few copies of my resume and references to take with me, since there will apparently be spaces set up for on-the-spot interviews, and I also plan to carry a thumb drive with both loaded on it. I've learned that when it comes to job hunting, there's no such thing as being "too prepared". I'll be touching up my roots tonight, and fine-tuning what I'll wear; it will have to be both professional and comfortable, because I may very well be there all day. The hardest part of the process, I think, will be maintaining a positive, upbeat attitude the whole time. Even though I have nothing to lose and possibly a great deal to gain.
Friday, September 10, 2010
A Medley Of Updates
Some good, others not so much ...
The garden. Heavy Sigh. Our final crop tally (now that summer seems to be over for good and what isn't already ripe never will be):
Four apples.
Three hazelnuts.
A lifetime's worth of chives. Apparently you can't kill these little suckers with napalm.
Four black currants.
Four stalks of rhubarb. Hey, it got almost-red, that has to count for something ... doesn't it?
Eleven green beans.
One strawberry. One.
A gallon ice-cream pail full of lovely Italian prune plums. Yeah, surprised the heck out of me too - we planted the tree three years ago and were told not to expect fruit from it for about five years! I'm most gratified (and the plums are almost all gone already).
Enough small, rock-hard green tomatoes to make a couple of gallons of my great-grandmother's green tomato mincemeat, if someone can find the recipe.
On the upside, we have the fattest, happiest squirrels and Stellar jays you've ever seen. Next year I think I'll just plant raspberries. Or maybe chives.
In other news, my daughters have told me that since the job market is still so depressed - and consequently so am I - I should write a book. Something along the lines of "Being Dead Flat Broke Is The Best Way To Live Green" or "How To Squeeze A Dollar Till The Loon Lays Eggs" ... Personally, I suspect that a more appropriate title might be "How To Survive Making Horrifically Bad Choices In Life" ... But maybe they're onto something. I'll give that some thought.
Men and trucks. What is it with men and their trucks, anyway? Big Guy loves his truck. He bought it new in 1975. No, that's not a typo. 1975. He has kept The Truck running for 35 years, he loves The Truck, he will never sell or scrap The Truck; I'm pretty sure he wants to be buried in The Truck. Or maybe pass it down to our grandson, like a beloved family heirloom. The running not-so-funny joke around here is that if Moses showed up with another stone tablet saying Big Guy had to choose between me and The Truck ... he'd miss me.
There have been times when my love for him has been all that kept me from taking a cutting torch to The Truck and not stopping until there wasn't anything left big enough to use for an ashtray.
Big Guy went fishing with a buddy for a week or so. It was all good, until ... something expensive broke in the suspension of The Truck. At Lillooet Lake. Which, if you are fortunate enough to have BCAA, as we do, turns out to be only a $280 towing distance from here. "Only", he said. I bit my tongue and did not say what I was thinking, which was I would have just put a bullet through its head and rolled it into the river. Instead, I patted his shoulder comfortingly and reminded him that in all its 35 years of faithful service, this is the first time The Truck has ever had to be towed home, and isn't that some kind of world record or something? Cheered him right up. Men are strange about their trucks.
Nice things have happened, too.
A friend sent me a lovely ten-colour sampler pack of Fimo; she'd heard I was getting back into the craft fair stuff and wanted to cheer me on. Beautiful, clear, bright colours, and I smile every time I look at them.
I notified the extended family that the only Christmas gifts I'd be giving this year would be made by me, for obvious reasons. Various requests are starting to trickle in, and I went trolling the internet for patterns ...
Oh. My. Gosh.
Not only am I overwhelmed with the volume and variety of what's out there - and I only googled "FREE patterns" - but why didn't somebody tell me how many knitting websites and blogs there are? Good gravy, I could sit here around the clock for the next century and never get caught up! The internet, it turns out, is hog heaven for knitters! Who knew?
And - I found a local knitting group within a reasonable distance, and when I tentatively e-mailed them asking if they were open to new people, I got such a warm welcome! They meet every Thursday evening at a local (well, fairly local) coffee shop, so guess where I'll be? I've been feeling like a bit of an inadvertent hermit lately, and I think this will be good for me. I'll get out of the house for something besides necessary errands, I'll make new friends who actually understand when I mutter no, idiot, it's k2 then psso, and I might even get some Christmas gifts made. At least, that's the plan.
Do you think they'll still like me if I tell them I get all my yarn at Value Village?
The garden. Heavy Sigh. Our final crop tally (now that summer seems to be over for good and what isn't already ripe never will be):
Four apples.
Three hazelnuts.
A lifetime's worth of chives. Apparently you can't kill these little suckers with napalm.
Four black currants.
Four stalks of rhubarb. Hey, it got almost-red, that has to count for something ... doesn't it?
Eleven green beans.
One strawberry. One.
A gallon ice-cream pail full of lovely Italian prune plums. Yeah, surprised the heck out of me too - we planted the tree three years ago and were told not to expect fruit from it for about five years! I'm most gratified (and the plums are almost all gone already).
Enough small, rock-hard green tomatoes to make a couple of gallons of my great-grandmother's green tomato mincemeat, if someone can find the recipe.
On the upside, we have the fattest, happiest squirrels and Stellar jays you've ever seen. Next year I think I'll just plant raspberries. Or maybe chives.
In other news, my daughters have told me that since the job market is still so depressed - and consequently so am I - I should write a book. Something along the lines of "Being Dead Flat Broke Is The Best Way To Live Green" or "How To Squeeze A Dollar Till The Loon Lays Eggs" ... Personally, I suspect that a more appropriate title might be "How To Survive Making Horrifically Bad Choices In Life" ... But maybe they're onto something. I'll give that some thought.
Men and trucks. What is it with men and their trucks, anyway? Big Guy loves his truck. He bought it new in 1975. No, that's not a typo. 1975. He has kept The Truck running for 35 years, he loves The Truck, he will never sell or scrap The Truck; I'm pretty sure he wants to be buried in The Truck. Or maybe pass it down to our grandson, like a beloved family heirloom. The running not-so-funny joke around here is that if Moses showed up with another stone tablet saying Big Guy had to choose between me and The Truck ... he'd miss me.
There have been times when my love for him has been all that kept me from taking a cutting torch to The Truck and not stopping until there wasn't anything left big enough to use for an ashtray.
Big Guy went fishing with a buddy for a week or so. It was all good, until ... something expensive broke in the suspension of The Truck. At Lillooet Lake. Which, if you are fortunate enough to have BCAA, as we do, turns out to be only a $280 towing distance from here. "Only", he said. I bit my tongue and did not say what I was thinking, which was I would have just put a bullet through its head and rolled it into the river. Instead, I patted his shoulder comfortingly and reminded him that in all its 35 years of faithful service, this is the first time The Truck has ever had to be towed home, and isn't that some kind of world record or something? Cheered him right up. Men are strange about their trucks.
Nice things have happened, too.
A friend sent me a lovely ten-colour sampler pack of Fimo; she'd heard I was getting back into the craft fair stuff and wanted to cheer me on. Beautiful, clear, bright colours, and I smile every time I look at them.
I notified the extended family that the only Christmas gifts I'd be giving this year would be made by me, for obvious reasons. Various requests are starting to trickle in, and I went trolling the internet for patterns ...
Oh. My. Gosh.
Not only am I overwhelmed with the volume and variety of what's out there - and I only googled "FREE patterns" - but why didn't somebody tell me how many knitting websites and blogs there are? Good gravy, I could sit here around the clock for the next century and never get caught up! The internet, it turns out, is hog heaven for knitters! Who knew?
And - I found a local knitting group within a reasonable distance, and when I tentatively e-mailed them asking if they were open to new people, I got such a warm welcome! They meet every Thursday evening at a local (well, fairly local) coffee shop, so guess where I'll be? I've been feeling like a bit of an inadvertent hermit lately, and I think this will be good for me. I'll get out of the house for something besides necessary errands, I'll make new friends who actually understand when I mutter no, idiot, it's k2 then psso, and I might even get some Christmas gifts made. At least, that's the plan.
Do you think they'll still like me if I tell them I get all my yarn at Value Village?
Monday, September 6, 2010
Labour Day Thoughts And Thanks
Ah, Labour Day. The day when everyone strives to labour as little as humanly possible. Especially me ... the most energetic thing I did today was make a pot of coffee. Oh, and clean up that hairball Big Guy was pretending not to see, but that only took thirty seconds.
This is it, folks - the last long weekend of summer. Our last chance to spend a guilt-free Monday lounging in the back yard with a cold what's-your-pleasure, scarfing down potato salad and whatever's on hand to barbecue. Our last chance to hit the you-pick berry farms before they all turn into pumpkin patches. Our last chance to hit the beach and add one more day's worth to the tan we're hoping won't fade until after Christmas (okay, Halloween). In short, our last chance to hang around soaking up sunshine and doing as close to nothing as we can get away with. And ...
It's raining. Worse, it's not even the kind of thorough, windy, driving rain that fully justifies a roaring fire and a gallon of hot chocolate ... no, it's the dull, drab, not-really-really-raining-but-still-soaks-right-through-you stuff that's too nasty to do anything outside in, only you still have to go to the store but it's not raining hard enough to justify taking the car instead of walking. That kind of rain.
And my car is full of donations I can't take to the thrift store until tomorrow, so my living room is full of bags of donations that I can't put in the car until I drop off what's already in it, and Big Guy (home from the fishing trip - don't ask, it got ugly) is complaining because there are bags of donations all over the living room.
And I still have no job and no money, and no working space to make craft fair things because of the Domino Effect (the attic does look much better now, but the workroom hasn't changed much except for the nice neat organized bookshelves), and even though I have no money I have to come up with gifts for three family birthdays in the next five days.
But it's still a holiday Monday, which is still a good thing in my book.
So since I can't get any sunshine outside, I'd like to say a big "Thank you!" to a few of the bloggers whose virtual sunshine has kept me so well distracted from the weather, the state of my house, and the state of my finances this weekend:
Wise and compassionate Donna of Surviving and Thriving , whose encouraging comments never fail to renew my optimism, and remind me that no matter how low I'm feeling, I'm not alone.
Deanna of Crunchy Chicken , whose dedication to the environment puts me so far in the shade, and who is such a terrific inspiration whenever I start feeling that one person can't make a difference.
Abigail of I Pick Up Pennies , who deals with staggering challenges with such grace and determination that I'm ashamed of ever feeling sorry for myself.
Stephanie of Yarn Harlot , who is funny, brilliant, warm-hearted and charming, and who has inspired me to dig all my UFOs out of the knitting basket and actually find a knitting group to join. I might even get something finished ...
There are a lot more wonderful bloggers out there (see my sidebar for a few of my favourites) but these four ladies in particular have really brightened up the last few days for me. Thank you, ladies, for turning the grey, drizzly gloom into something a little warmer and brighter!
This is it, folks - the last long weekend of summer. Our last chance to spend a guilt-free Monday lounging in the back yard with a cold what's-your-pleasure, scarfing down potato salad and whatever's on hand to barbecue. Our last chance to hit the you-pick berry farms before they all turn into pumpkin patches. Our last chance to hit the beach and add one more day's worth to the tan we're hoping won't fade until after Christmas (okay, Halloween). In short, our last chance to hang around soaking up sunshine and doing as close to nothing as we can get away with. And ...
It's raining. Worse, it's not even the kind of thorough, windy, driving rain that fully justifies a roaring fire and a gallon of hot chocolate ... no, it's the dull, drab, not-really-really-raining-but-still-soaks-right-through-you stuff that's too nasty to do anything outside in, only you still have to go to the store but it's not raining hard enough to justify taking the car instead of walking. That kind of rain.
And my car is full of donations I can't take to the thrift store until tomorrow, so my living room is full of bags of donations that I can't put in the car until I drop off what's already in it, and Big Guy (home from the fishing trip - don't ask, it got ugly) is complaining because there are bags of donations all over the living room.
And I still have no job and no money, and no working space to make craft fair things because of the Domino Effect (the attic does look much better now, but the workroom hasn't changed much except for the nice neat organized bookshelves), and even though I have no money I have to come up with gifts for three family birthdays in the next five days.
But it's still a holiday Monday, which is still a good thing in my book.
So since I can't get any sunshine outside, I'd like to say a big "Thank you!" to a few of the bloggers whose virtual sunshine has kept me so well distracted from the weather, the state of my house, and the state of my finances this weekend:
Wise and compassionate Donna of Surviving and Thriving , whose encouraging comments never fail to renew my optimism, and remind me that no matter how low I'm feeling, I'm not alone.
Deanna of Crunchy Chicken , whose dedication to the environment puts me so far in the shade, and who is such a terrific inspiration whenever I start feeling that one person can't make a difference.
Abigail of I Pick Up Pennies , who deals with staggering challenges with such grace and determination that I'm ashamed of ever feeling sorry for myself.
Stephanie of Yarn Harlot , who is funny, brilliant, warm-hearted and charming, and who has inspired me to dig all my UFOs out of the knitting basket and actually find a knitting group to join. I might even get something finished ...
There are a lot more wonderful bloggers out there (see my sidebar for a few of my favourites) but these four ladies in particular have really brightened up the last few days for me. Thank you, ladies, for turning the grey, drizzly gloom into something a little warmer and brighter!
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