Happy Memorial Day

When I see a Service person in the airport or anywhere for that matter, I walk up to them, extend my hand, look them in the eye and say "Thank you for your service". I've found that most of the time they are at first surprised and then they are happy. I like the happy part. The surprised part makes me a little sad. They should not be caught off guard by someone offering appreciation for their sacrifice for this country we love.

I am not partial to a specific branch of the Armed Services; how can you be? However, I saw this commercial years ago and never forgot it. I've been fortunate to see many of the sights of this great country and this commercial touched me deeply.

I won't say anymore but let it speak for itself. Click HERE to watch it.

God Bless America and thank you Veterans everywhere.

Is It Still A Search If You're Searching For It Not To Be There?

For the past almost 3 years I have spent hours every day looking for job postings. This morning I looked to NOT see one.

I went on my new company's web site a few minutes ago and the job is no longer posted. The 'For Sale' sign has been taken down and I'm moving in.

How strange after searching and searching for jobs to search for a posting to be gone. To search that it's no longer a posting, but a job.

My job.

Holy crap, I got a job.

Reset To Zero

I was offered a job on Tuesday, I've accepted the offer and I will start work next week.

As of today, it has been 1,035 days since my last day of work at my previous employer.

That's 2 years and 10 months.

148 weeks

24,840 hours

1,490,400 minutes

89,424,000 seconds

Who's counting you might ask?

I am.

Every one of these statistics equals a piece of my struggle, a drop of my sweat, a drop of my tears.

Time for a new counter to start.

Time to reset to "0".

A Most Blessed Event

After much

nausea
bloating
nesting
diarrhea
fatigue
fear
backaches
headaches
cramping
cravings
panic
grunting
sweating
screaming
begging
cursing
exhaustion

and

praying . . .

IT'S A JOB!!!

226

Remember this number and stay tuned!

Centennial

This is a big day for me and my blog. This is my 100th post.

When I started this blog it was cold and snowy and I was not working.

100 blogs later, it's warm and humid and green and I am not working.

I want to thank you for taking time out of your life to stop by and share mine. This blog has given me an outlet for my thoughts and feelings through a very difficult time. I'm so grateful to be able to share this bumpy ride with you.

Keep those seat belts fastened, it ain't over yet!

Do Not Open That Umbrella In Here!

While leaving the house at 6:30 a.m. for the garage sale, I saw a black cat in the alley as soon as I pulled out of the garage. I chanted in my head -- at least I think it was in my head -- "Don't walk in front of me. Don't walk in front of me. Don't walk in front of me."

The cat walked in front of me.

Did I mention it was black?

Not quite the way to start the day; especially that early!

We are home now and we are both safe and sound. I will sit very quietly this evening; no need to tempt fate.

No ladders, no mirrors, no cracks -- OH MY!

When The Usual Becomes Unusual

Remember I told you I'm helping my friend organize her house? That project is still going on and I am over there about 8 hours a week. We're making great progress but there are still rooms to declutter. Even though this is a friend, I am treating it seriously and professionally, just like any job.

My husband has off from work today to prepare for the garage sale. Last night I was in bed and it was close to midnight so I yelled downstairs for him to come to bed, "Some of us have to go to work in the morning!". He groaned but we both had a good laugh after all this time that he's gotten up every day for work while I am usually still in bed.

In my defense, for many years I got up before him. So I've tried to get over the guilt. But getting up, showering, drying my hair, putting on make-up, styling my hair, dressing up was foreign to me out of the womb (I am not a girly girl) and it's even more so now that I've gotten out of the habit. Even getting ready for my interview this afternoon I find it hard to believe and remember I did this every day for many, many years.

Anything can become normal and you really can get used to anything.

Except maybe knee highs.

I got nothing.

Look Out Confucius, There's Another Philosopher In Town

A rainy, dreary Election Day here in eastern Pennsylvania. I am spending the day at home, making vegetable soup and doing the job search and following up on jobs I applied for last week.

I did land an interview this morning. It will take place on Thursday afternoon. It's a position I pursued and followed up on so I'm happy to be given an opportunity for a personal meeting.

There is another position I had phone interviewed for a week or so ago and I thought it went really well. However, I have not heard back from them concerning a personal interview, which was the next step in the process. I need to send an email and follow-up but it's just so hard to have to walk right up to Rejection and look him (I'm convinced Rejection is male) in the eye and professionally inquire as to your fate. Especially when my meeting with Possibility (a female I am sure) went so well.

Possibility good, Rejection bad. Very bad.

Hard to believe I'm unemployed with such pearls of wisdom, isn't it?

Run Teddy Run!

Mt. Rushmore is like porn to me. WAIT! DON'T EXIT THIS BLOG! GIVE ME A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN!

I love our Founding Fathers and our early Presidents! LOVE THEM!

The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team in Washington, DC. At each home game, a promotional event called The Presidents' Race is held. The Presidents' Race features four former U.S. Presidents: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt. The Presidents are dressed in period costumes and topped with giant foam caricature heads. Sometimes they are dressed in Nationals jerseys.

I don't know what it is but this Race makes me laugh so hard that liquids, if I am drinking, have been known to shoot out of my nose. (Between this and the porn I'm sure I've lost you . . . hopefully not forever.) It is just one of those things that gets me HYSTERICAL!

With the Race, they never let Teddy win. Ever. Poor Teddy. There is even a web site devoted to Teddy coming in first. It's LetTeddyWin.com. Click HERE to access it. For my birthday, my Sister J gave me a t-shirt which has on the front "Let Teddy Win!". On the back of the t-shirt is a quote by Teddy:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to run with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt

An inspirational quote by one of my favorite Presidents, well Happy Birthday To ME! I will take all the rah-rah's I can get to lift me up to job search another day.

Click HERE to see a Race. And I wanna hear you yell "RUN TEDDY RUN!!!" and in my head it will sound like "Search Sister Rain Search!!!".

TGIS!

Beautiful Saturday here in Pennsylvania. The husband is doing yard work and beginning to bring bins down from our attic for a garage sale we are having with his family next weekend.

I am doing wash and just did some job search related work: follow-ups, applied for a few new positions. There is lots of activity which is so much more promising than when there were no job openings and yet I still pray for things to move to the next level.

I hope you are having a great weekend. I have a "Life's Little Instruction Calendar" on my desk and for this weekend it says:

If it's Sunday afternoon, nap anytime you want.

Consider that your permission slip. Enjoy!

"PUT DOWN THE 2,000 LB. BELL OR I'LL TACKLE YOU!"

As I've mentioned before, I love history as it relates to the birth of our country and I am so grateful that I live so close to where it all began -- Philadelphia. I have visited all the historic sites there many times as well as in Boston and other National Parks. I have always thought I'd love to be a Park Ranger and give tours of these places so full of history.

While doing the job search, I go on the National Park Service's web site all the time to look for Ranger openings in the Philadelphia area. However, most of these positions require a law enforcement background which I do not have.

Let me assure you, even if I'm not packing heat I am going to do EVERYTHING I can to protect our national treasures. I would not hesitate to tackle someone trying to steal the Liberty Bell or give a roundhouse kick to anyone trying to walk off with the chair Ben (you know, my friend Benjamin Franklin as discussed in blog post "WWBD?" on 4/22/10) sat in at Independence Hall.

I'd like to ask the Park Service to please rethink their requirements. I would swear to do everything and anything to protect and educate.

And I'd look really cool in the hat!

Horror-scope

I am not fanatical about it, but I do enjoy reading my horoscope. I have gotten my daily horoscope delivered by text message to my phone at 7:00 AM every day for years. I don't put much stock in them unless they're good news of course.

I also like to cut out of the paper my horoscope for the year on my birthday. I keep it in my Palm all year and look at it from time to time. I don't think it's every been right but there is always the thought that someone knows something I don't know so why not try to find out?

Last Friday was my birthday and here is what my horoscope for the coming year is:

This year, you open up to new ideas, new friends and a very different lifestyle. Those who are content might want to revitalize their existing commitments, and not take them for granted. You have get-up-and-go with personal issues.

Usually I can somehow tweak the horoscope in such a way that it correlates to my life. Not this time. I have no idea how this relates to me. It speaks to "those who are content" and I am not content nor have I ever been. What could this possibly mean?

Only 358 more days to wait for it to all make sense. Maybe the new idea I'm supposed to open up to is patience . . .

Did These Pants Shrink In The Wash?

More frustration this week in the job search and it's only Wednesday. As I had mentioned, I had an interview last Friday afternoon. It went well but I am forever thinking my interviews have gone well and then not being offered the job. It's like going on a blind date and thinking it went so great and that the guy was really into you and yet he never calls.

When I had originally applied for this position, I applied for position 'A'. When I had the interview on Friday, the woman told me she wanted to be clear she was interviewing me for position 'B', based on my experience and skills. This 'B' position was still in Meeting & Event Planning, but a managerial position. I explained that I had seen position 'B' after I had already applied for position 'A' and had not done more than scanned its description. I assured her this was fine with me. I was happy she thought enough of my resume to consider me for that elevated position.

After the interview on Friday I printed out position 'B's job posting and I tailored my thank you letter around its duties and requirements.

Yesterday I received an email back from her wanting to be clear she was interviewing me for position 'A'! SOS! I know that I absolutely did NOT misunderstand her but of course I can't say that to her. I have to once again humble myself, suck it up, whatever you want to call it, and construct a reply to her that will not hurt my chances for any and all of the jobs. Perhaps something like:

Um, thanks for saying my experience actually is lesser than you first pumped me up to believe. After I told my family and a few close friends.

Honestly, the jobs are extremely similar and I'd be thrilled to land either one of them. But yet another lesson in humility. A painful one at that.

At no point will I be getting too big for my britches during this job search. If anything, I think they're getting a little snug . . .

Up Close and Personal

Yesterday I dropped of my resume at a local company who has a position open I am interested in. Ever careful to follow the rules, I applied online first but figured it couldn't hurt to drop by in person.

You must realize that I am a ponytail and baseball cap (Go Phillies!) kind of girl when I am not working. But I got a little gussied up, just in case, and made the 5-minute drive to this company.

I went into the building and there was a sign at the inside lobby window indicating all visitors should go into the adjoining conference room, look at the company directory next to the conference room phone and call the appropriate person.

There was no listing for Human Resources; this is a small-sized organization. There were a few people listed under 'Marketing', where the open position falls, but that seemed strange to call one of those folks. So, I chose 'General Assistance' and the first person I tried resulted in an odd tone. I tried again and got the same tone.

I tried the second and final 'General Assistance' name and a woman answered. I explained that I wanted to drop off my resume for a Marketing position that is open within the company. She asked if I wanted to speak with someone. In retrospect perhaps I should have said yes but I said no, that I live in the area and thought I'd bring my resume in in person. She was very nice but instructed me to leave my information by the front desk window.

Who knows where the resume will land. I feel right now as it was a waste of time, make-up and hair products.

I hope I'm proven wrong.

Dude, Where's My Car?

Happy Mother's Day to all my readers! I hope you had a great day.

My day is starting out a bit out of sorts. First of all, I went to get into my car this morning only to find my car wasn't in the garage -- I had parked out front. It's quite a shock to walk into an empty garage when you expect your car to be there waiting for you.

And secondly, my bagel is still frozen and I can't toast it yet so I'm drinking my coffee and doing the job search.

I applied for a couple of jobs over the weekend. One is a few miles from my home so I'm going to stop by there this afternoon and drop off my resume in person. I'm really not sure if people do that anymore, but I'm going to give it a shot.

I just found another job to apply for so that's my next step. I'm hoping this is a good week and things progress with the jobs leads I've got going. When you start your week by walking into an empty garage where your car should be, there's nowhere to go but up.

My Own Personal Thanksgiving

Today is my birthday. The start of a new year for me. The start of whatever my 29th year will bring. (Do I hear laughing?)

But more than my birthday, it's turning into a day of thanks for me. Messages have been coming into my BlackBerry from my friends wishing me well, saying some very sweet things. The sun is shining, I'm having lunch with a friend I also consider my Sister, I've got a job interview this afternoon and tonight I am seeing my favorite singer/songwriter, Dan May, and after that will come home and watch the Phillies on TiVo.

There is so much in my little world to be grateful for. I try to remember that every day but I am human and sometimes I am sorry to say all I can see is the negative. I do give thanks every day but today my blessings are more evident than ever.

Another year older, another year maybe a teeny tiny bit wiser.

This life, my life, is good.

A Fork in the Road

I've got some activity in the ole job search Friends. I was hesitant to post this for fear of jinxing things or for fear of my getting too excited, but I will try and remain as Switzerland, neutral. This blog is about the job search so how can I not write about the lastest events?

I've got two interviews scheduled which is such progress. After months and months of not hearing back on my applications . . . well, let's focus on the positive shall we? Both jobs are very appealing to me so I am anxious to hear more about them and have a chance to tell my story.

I am also aggressively pursuing a few other positions that I've recently applied for. Hopefully those pursuits will also result in interviews.

Wish me luck and stay tuned. It could end up that I continue on the current path or we could branch off to new territory. I don't know what's going to happen but I know it's gonna be an adventure. It always is.

I'm Hoping For Love At First Sight

I applied for three jobs today. My plan is to follow up tomorrow with phone calls. All three of the jobs are exactly what I'm looking for. And I am exactly what they are looking for.

I sound like a desperate woman looking for love on some online dating service and coming to these conclusions after only reading his bio. But I can't help it, if this were a dating scenario I'd book my plane tickets to Las Vegas and prepare for a quickie wedding.

But of course, I'm not looking for love (in all the right or wrong places) but I am desperate. Desperate to get on with my life and career which will only happen with a new job.

I'm a cheap date. I promise. And just like in love, in the job search, once you find "the one" you can stop looking.

I do.

Hermana Y Hermana

I have a birthday coming up this week. I tried to cancel it, due to lack of interest, but apparently I'm the only one who isn't interested.

I had dinner with one of my oldest (meaning longest) and closest friends tonight. I don't even think of her as my friend but as my sister. So Sis took me to my favorite restaurant, PF Chang's. We had a great time, as always, catching up in person. It's always a treat to be face-to-face even though we chat every day by email, text or the old-fashioned phone.

We have been close for 15 years. We've seen each other through graduations, divorce, deaths, weddings, job troubles, injuries, surgeries, unemployment . . . life.

Sis gave me a beautiful card and in the card she wrote that she hoped the year ahead is wonderful to me.

It's easy to forget that as you go through things, it's not just you wanting the best for yourself. There are people who love you and support you and want you to be happy.

Sis is one of those people. Actually, she's up there at the top of the list.

Life is crazy and busy for all of us and we've all got our own "stuff" but true friends carry your struggles as well as their own. Tonight I was reminded that I will get through this job search struggle because every time I sign a cover letter with my resume attached, I could sign the names of those pulling for me. With "J"'s name right underneath mine. I love you Sis.

Déjà Poo

When you create an online blog, you are asked in your Setup if the blog will contain "Adult Content". If you choose "Yes", viewers of your blog will see a warning message and will be asked to confirm that they want to proceed to your blog.

I chose "No" when I set up my blog, so I am ever mindful of what I say here. I am hoping that the use of the word "Poo" in today's post title does not offend. There was just no other way to say it.

You see, I keep coming across the same positions at the same companies, yet months apart. For example, I applied for a position at a company in February of this year. I never heard anything back and the job disappeared from all job boards.

Today, however, that job is re-posted -- with today's date as the post date. I am completely qualified for the position, I swear to you I am. So I will apply again.

I can't tell you how tempted I am, when this happens, and I see it more often than you'd think, to start my cover letter by saying I had applied for the job several months ago and if you had hired me then you wouldn't be re-posting it. This may seem completely inappropriate and unprofessional, but what, really, do I have to lose? My dignity, confidence and politeness have all taken a beating through this process.

I'm gonna do it. And in ALL CAPS. Maybe in red font. With yellow highlights.

Yet another element of this job search that is really is a crock of . . .

Now do you get the "poo" part???

E = Enough

I play a dangerous game and it's called 'Letting The Gas Tank In My Car Go WAY Below E'.

Today, I played that game again and I'm not gonna lie, I got a rush from it. I am proud to say that as long as I've been playing this game, which is a long time, I have never run out of gas.

To me, "E" = ENOUGH.

Wouldn't it be great if we were running low on anything else in our life and we could drive up, pay some cash and get what we need? I know you can do this for food and coffee, but what about . . . I don't know . . . say a job?

Picture this:

I drive up to a board showing all available jobs.

"Ah yes, good afternoon. I'll have a Meeting Planner job in the Philadelphia area, full-time, with benefits and travel required."

"What's that? My experience? I happen to have my resume right here. Would you like to take a look? I also have my portfolio here which contains brochures, articles, etc. that I've created to generate interest in meetings."

Just like gas in your car, you can eek it out only so long. Then you've got to pull in, fill up, and get on with the rest of your life.