What A Difference A Recession Makes

I had a phone interview this afternoon and it went well, but the salary is about half of what I was making when I lost my job in 2007. It really is amazing what a company expects as far as the responsibilities of the position and the salary they are paying.

I had anticipated a discussion about salary, so I did my research online for salary ranges for that job title in that zip code. I even low-balled it and still was shocked by what they are offering.

I told the HR person that I would still like to pursue the opportunity; that my first priority is to stay in my field.

I am so grateful to have received the call but I've got to be honest, as quickly as the balloon inflated, it deflated twice that fast.

Click HERE for the full effect.

Beep, Beep

I went downstairs, saw the answering machine light blinking, hit "PLAY" expecting to hear yet another political campaign call and there it was:

"Yes, good afternoon, I'm calling for Sister Rain. Sister, this is Jane Doe calling from Acme. You applied with us last week for a Marketing position and I'd love to speak with you concerning this position. Please call me at (123) 456-7890."

When you least expect it, expect it.

Corn Stalker

It's a gray but unusually warm day here for Fall in Pennsylvania. Today I may have crossed a line in the job search world but it's too late now.

I mentioned the other day there is a company I would love to work for who has an opening that fits my background and experience. I have applied as instructed on their website and I will make a follow-up call later this week.

Today, however, I drove to the company and drove around the parking lot. I tried visualizing, a la Oprah, myself driving to the employee parking lot, parking and heading into work, greeting associates as we made our way into the office. Since it's so dark out today, I pictured myself leaving for the day at night when the parking lot lights are on and snow is on the ground later this winter. I imagined myself at my desk inside working away.

What I didn't imagine and perhaps should have was the padded van coming to take me away.

Well, you can't say I haven't tried everything. Although I guess walking in and sitting down at a desk, a la George Costanza, would really encompass EVERYTHING. . .

Rainy Days And Mondays Always Get Me Down

Enough said

Feeling LOST Today

Rough day here. The Phillies are out of the postseason and will not be returning to the World Series. I'm also very down about the job search and its infinite impossibilities.

The weekends are hard on me because there is very little I feel I can do when the work force is off to move forward in the job search process. This is going to sound crazy, but I'm in a crazy place right now, but it's also strange even after being out of work for so much time, to not have the normal weekend chores to do because I've gotten them done during the week. I will live to regret thinking and typing this someday, hopefully soon, but it's the truth.

On a positive note, it's a beautiful fall day today. We have beautiful changing of the leaves and it's sunny and warm.

As when I left the beach a few weeks ago, I find myself wondering today when Spring Training starts next year, where will I be working?

The beach, baseball, the weekend -- it all comes back to this unanswered question.

I hate unanswered questions.

If An Engine Backfires In The Woods, Would A Meeting Planner Even Hear It?

Can someone please tell me how "Automobile Mechanic" gets on a list of open jobs that match my skills and interest that comes to me via email from an employment website?

Phew!

Sister Rain, M.D. (Mess Doctor)

I have returned to helping my friend organize her house. She has some friends who are interested in my service so she's let them know that my shingle is officially hung out.

I still am pursuing my career in Meeting & Event Planning/Marketing Communications but I can do the organizing until I return to that world and if possible, after. I seem to have a knack for de-cluttering and organizing (if I do say so myself and it looks like I just did).

It's not what I planned for myself or ever really imagined, but when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. And when life hands you clutter, buy some trash bags and give me a call. Even you Snoopy.

Inspiration In A Coffee Cup Sleeve

I LOVE COFFEE!!! Plain old coffee with a little cream and one Sweet'N Low is my daily drink but occasionally I love a treat of a Cafe Mocha or a Frappuccino.

For some reason, my husband and I just can't make decent coffee at home. We've tried using bottled water, we've tried different combinations of water and coffee and we just never get it right. This afternoon I was home and cold and felt like a cup of coffee so I tried to make a pot and it was a disaster.

The closest Starbucks is 10 miles from my home but we have a local coffee shop about 4 miles away. I love its atmosphere. There are always people there on their laptops and having business meetings. They're all "hip" and sometimes young (sigh) and stylish. They are who I want to be (the young part might be a challenge) and sitting there people-watching inspires me to be creative, to continue the fight to return to my career.

People scoff at a $4 cup of coffee and most days I'll agree it's crazy. But today $4 got me a Cafe Mocha. With a dollop of whipped cream and inspiration on top.


(Don't you love the word "dollop"?)

Meow? Woof?

Hello Friends. I'm sorry I haven't posted regularly lately. I don't want to post just for the sake of posting, but I also make a conscious effort to write everyday. The problem is, there's not much been going on in my Job Search World the last few weeks. Obviously, this is a bigger problem than not having something to write about.

I'm doing the job search now and have found a few jobs. One is with a company that is in my top 3 companies I'd like to work for so I'm going to go after it with passion and professional aggression. Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!

The question is, how do I approach this? I've tried sending my resume and cover letter directly to the HR person if I can determine who that is. I've tried dropping off my information in person. I've even mailed my cover letter and resume in via U.S. mail! Anything to set me apart.

Growling sure would set me apart but probably not the way I'd like . . .

It's That Time Of The Season

I am a huge Philadelphia Phillies fan and they lost to the San Francisco Giants last night in Game 1 of a best-of-7 series. I am feeling down today, tired and achy. And bloated. And let's not forget irritable.

It's not PMS, but PSM.

I am a Post Season Mess.

SPF And DNA

I have been going to the same hair stylist since I was 16. I got a hair cut today and when I went into the salon, my hair stylist asked me what was new with the job search. I gave her the quick update which wasn't hard since there is no update.

Another girl shampooed my hair while my stylist finished with her customer before me. I had never seen this woman before but as she was laying me back into the sink she said, "I heard what you said so I realize this might not be relevant right now, but I'm an aesthetician here and if you ever want a facial or have any skin concerns I am here."

I just got back from the New Jersey shore a few days ago and the weather was so nice I was able to go to the beach. One look at me and it's clear I think SPF stands for Sun Per Foot. Don't judge me, my Tanorexia is hereditary; my Mom is Tanorexic.*

Being unemployed has nothing to do with me not going to an aesthetician. DNA does.



* As much as I enjoy the sun, I don't fake tan and find the orange Oompa Loompa look highly ridiculous. Rest assured in the coming winter months I will return to my natural pasty, Pennsylvania white.

Crunch Time

When I was waking up this morning, in that land between sleep and awake, I realized that my abs were really hurting. In my drowsy state, I thought how glad I was that I could feel that pain because it must mean my working out was really paying off.

Then I fully woke up and realized I had not worked out for months. Unless you count coughing so hard your internal organs are shaken around like the faux flakes in a snow globe.

Apparently my abs do.

The Only Similarity Is That We're Both Women?

I am still fighting this cold that arrived 8 days ago. Let's just say that I am not at the top of the podium in the winner's circle in this battle.

I am not feeling like myself which leads to the question:

If I can't feel like myself why can't I feel like Jennifer Aniston?

Instead, I am a jobless, congested, gravelling voiced version of myself. Who will NOT be appearing in GC anytime soon. Or never.

Death, Taxes And The Ocean

I have been away with my Mom for a long weekend trip to my beloved New Jersey shore for an Indian Summer Weekend festival. The weather was gorgeous! It was our last overnight trip to the beach for the year so today's goodbyes were a little difficult.

I stood at the boardwalk railing today and asked myself and the ocean too where in the world I'll be working the next time I return? The ocean had no answer but it promised to be there next year no matter where I'm working and the year after that and the year after that . . .

Not much you can count on these days but I'm gonna count on this.

A Resume A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

My cold is better today and I am trying to make up for lost time. Doing wash, catching up on house chores, all the things I missed the last few days while laying in bed sleeping or blowing my nose.

When you're feeling that poorly, you really don't even think. It's all about getting lots of fluids and rest, just like Mom always said.

But today, as I'm up and about, the worries are back with my better health. Unfortunately, fluids and rest can't help with this affliction. There is no pill, no homeopathic remedy. No starving either (as in feed a cold, starve a fever, or is the other way around?). I'm beginning to think it's an incurable condition.

When did feeling better turn into feeling worse?

Is There A Limit On This Pallet Of Tissues Coupon?

Over the weekend we bought a Costco-load of tissues and we were hysterical laughing when I put them in our bathroom closet.

After last night's all night Olympic Nose Blowing Events, which, by the way, I won the Gold Medal in all three categories of quantity, quality and distance (don't ask), I believe Costco AND the tissues have the last laugh.

Dear Husband, You Might Want To Fumigate The Mouse

My day consisted of the following:

Achoo
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Drink
Try To Swallow
Pee
Job Search


There are no PTO or sick days when your job is job searching.

The Second Time Around

Having a rough day Friends. I am battling the beginnings of a cold and it's cold and rainy here today . . . again. I also am having computer troubles PLUS our beloved printer isn't working and we cannot do anything to breathe life back into it. The good news is I'm feeling so yucky with this encroaching cold that I'm not as concerned about the printer as I was yesterday.

Moving to the dark side, I had a second interview today for a job. I will simply say that if you were to ask me how a job interview went, 99.9% of the time I think they went great. Today was that .1%. I had met with someone a week ago and I knew I would be meeting with her again today as well as the Director of the organization. However, when I went into the conference room there three other people sitting there. OK then. Hello.

The questions they asked made me feel like that had doubts about me in the role. Which is fine, I get that's why it's called an interview, but why bring me back if you've got trepidation? It was not easy to get there -- I had to find the right outfit (changed twice), put on dress shoes (which I accidentally covered in powder while I was getting dressed and yes they were black fabric shoes), I had to primp in the car before going in (I ripped an earring out of my ear when it got caught in my hair brush) and I had to put my best foot forward (on a good day, that's my left foot).

It took me an hour to get ready, a half hour to prep questions and prepare, a half hour to drive there and a half hour to drive back. I was in with them for less than 20 minutes.

I don't know what to think. This was handled through a recruiter who I can't get in touch with. Did I mention I don't feel good? And oh yeah, in the three weeks since I quit working my feet forgot how to wear dress shoes and I've got a blister. On my worst foot so I guess that's something . . .

Do You Take This Man . . . To Costco

Today is my wedding anniversary. I've been married for 18 years, having married at the same age as Laura Ingalls.

My husband and I were at Starbuck's this morning, sitting at a table making a list for Costco and planning our dinners for the week so we could do our normal grocery shopping after Costco. A couple came and sat at the table next to us and the woman said to the man, "You read the name, I'll find the index card and you tell me if they ordered chicken or beef."

I looked up at my husband who looked at me and mouthed 'wedding'. I replied quietly, "It's the circle of life", referring to it being our anniversary and this couple planning their wedding.

I have no idea how old these two were; obviously if I think I got married at the same age as Laura Ingalls I have an Age Determination Disorder (the new ADD), but I thought this:

They don't have a clue. Little do they know they'll be talking about chicken and beef and 'what should we have for dinner?' for the next 60 years. They have no idea how hard it is. They don't realize that 'in sickness and in health' really means that. And 'for richer or for poorer'. I believe that should be changed OR amended to include 'in employment or in unemployment'. I wanted to tell them that when they're standing at the altar in front of their family and friends that 'Till death do us part' (aka forever) is gonna seem like maybe 5 years when in reality, it's a long, long, long time.

This is what was going on in my head. My husband of 18 years, well, I haven't a clue what he was thinking. My guess is he was wondering how many giant Costco bags of nachos will fit in our cart. After all, it's football season.

Yep, FOREVER is a long-ass time.

Yes I Did Judge A Book By Its Cover

I haven't even opened it yet but it had me at the title.