I am happy to report, though, that I have a functioning laptop again! On my long list of things-to-get-done-that-I-really-don't-want-to-do was to re-load Windows onto my computer and make sure that (expletive) virus was totally gone. Instead of ever getting around to it, Tom did! As a West Chester student he has access to their ResNet services, which include doing such tasks. And I made it a point that the first thing I would do on my newly working laptop is to write a long overdue blog post. Well, right after I changed that blinding blue background to a cooler space-themed wallpaper.
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| Probably chose this in conjunction with seeing Interstellar last week |
Among other things I have been doing has been lots of painting around the house. I had almost a week and a half off work, so I managed to paint almost half of the house. It was back breaking and exhausting and irksome, BUT the house is looking so much better and I am so much happier for it. I still have a number of rooms to tackle, but the bedroom and living room are done. And they look pretty good!
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| Half a house worth of painting supplies |
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| The living room mid-paint project |
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| Temporary storage room |
I want to take some better "after" pictures with my real camera so you can really enjoy the fruits of my labor, but for now I will just leave you guessing. I'm no professional painter, so the edges are choppy and one of the walls could have used an extra coat, but hey, it works and I think it looks good so far. I thought with a week off work I would get a lot more accomplished than I did, but I am remembering to breathe and not get overwhelmed. We've actually only been in our house for about two months now and considering how much we've accomplished amid all the chaos of our lives, I think we are doing pretty decent.
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| Ok, you can see ONE finished wall. Just one. |
But, wait, Sheridan, you said you had a week off work? How can that be? A week off of the restaurant during the (supposedly) busiest time of the year? I know, it sounds crazy, because it is. I actually no longer work for Legal Seafoods Restaurant.
Cue the parade music!
Did I ever mention the name of the restaurant I worked at? Probably not, just in case I wanted to gripe about it without feeling guilty. That is no longer an issue. However, my gripes there were petty and inconsequential in the big picture of life, so I will keep them to myself. For the most part I enjoyed my job there. I like waitressing. I like the busy-ness and getting to talk to different people every day and the thrill of a good tip. I liked my co-workers and my managers (most of the time) and I got to eat free salmon every day.
And yet, it wasn't meant to be a career. Not for me anyway, but it certainly makes a fine living for those who want to stay in the "industry". I was itching for some regular hours and predictable money and holidays and weekends off. Also, it would be nice to put some of that expensive paper (otherwise known as my Master's degree) to work.
I had been looking for work all summer. I was getting frustrated, lowering my standards on what would be acceptable. The money I made at Legal was pretty decent, higher than most entry-level jobs. Sure, my Master's could hypothetically put me a bit above entry-level work, but we are still feeling that recession and I was the first to accept that I might have to trade some money for experience. Even so, I was getting little to no response on the job front.
Do you know how soul-sucking it is searching for a job? Checking Indeed and Craigslist and every company or school or industry website you can think of for new, possibly suitable jobs? Writing cover letter after cover letter, tweaking your resume, filling out endless online applications that are asking for the SAME information on said resume? Spending 30-60 minutes per job application, all the while knowing that you'll be lucky if you get a response telling you they are interested, but really you probably won't get any word at all?
Yeah, it sucks. So I stopped. Christmas season was coming up and I knew I'd get some decent hours and money at the restaurant. I had the house to work on and school (some education classes) and I thought I'd pick up the job search in January. Or I'd go back to school full time to get my secondary education certification and work towards a teaching job.
But then my friend, Scott, a former co-worker from Yellow Pages Group, informed me of a department hiring. The job was for website copy writing (paid writing? my ears perked up) and they were doing interviews soon. They called me in, I took some tests, schmoozed some managers and now I am in my first week of training!
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| My new badge |
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| Scott works on the cool side of the office. I'm probably not going to be on that side. |
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| Nick and his daughter's artwork carrying on the tye-dye tradition |
I'm going to have to wrap this up now, because I am quite tired from sitting all day. Rest assured, though, on my to-do list is to find and charge my FitBit, so I can start tracking my steps. On every break I walk some laps and do some yoga and run up and down the stairs a few times. There is a gym in the office, which is a great perk, so after I get my orientation done I will be able to utilize that. I plan on doing everything I can to not let the office life bring down my good health and happiness. I will most definitely keep you up to date with that project.
So, I will try to write again before, but if I don't, have a Happy Thanksgiving! I will be spending it with my family, the first time in a few years, and I can't wait.
To-do List:
- find my FitBit and keep my steps up
- research healthy office habits
- finish up my end of semester work BEFORE the last minute (for once in my life)
- yoga tomorrow!
- get to bed at a reasonable time so I am bright and chipper for training
- start thinking of Christmas gifts for people (since as of now I have no idea)
- paint the hallway that has been taped up for several days waiting for me
- for the rest of tonight, relax and watch 22 Jump Street
Your to-do list:
Got any good office advice? Healthy habits, or things you do to stay sane sitting all day? Give me your thoughts on working for a corporate infrastructure! I've only done this once before, for a very brief time. I'm trying to settle in for a bit longer this go round, so help me out!
