Well, if I'm wishing for things...

I got the following email from a coworker about scheduling some of our work duties:

I need to make a new hotline schedule for Summer (it will start June 6).  Could you please email me your availability/shift preferences for Summer by May 13?

Is it bad that I wanted to respond with: "I would prefer not to be working here anymore so please don't give me any shifts".

What's happening, April?

One day, when I am not spending every free moment applying for new jobs, I will write more. But I've always said that. I've always said "I want to write more". I want to develop a style. I want to be inspired to write a story.
On occasion, I have great moments of inspiration to write. It hasn't happened in awhile, but I would sometimes start writing just a thought right before bed. And sometimes the (somewhat poetic) thoughts wouldn't stop for an hour. I would just write and write. I don't have quite as much free time anymore, so my free thinking, creative thoughts aren't as active.

But today, I'm sitting at Henry's with Phil on a gorgeous spring afternoon in Lawrence. I had to work at my real job today (yes, on a Saturday). And I stopped by the Lawrence library to get the next book in the YA series I somehow can't stop reading. (We can blame my highschool BFF for that.)
So, I'm sitting here with Phil, doing a little work for his company, making some headway in my Google Reader and looking for jobs. As of right now I, shockingly, have no jobs to apply for. I've been pretty seriously job hunting for about six months and have constantly had jobs to apply for. I feel very lucky that there is so much opportunity in the Kansas City area in the field I want to be in.
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I had a job interview in February for a small events and meeting planning boutique. It seemed like a great job and a good fit but I was not comfortable at the interview. Maybe because my interview skills were rusty but I kind of think the person I interviewed with wasn't very personable/friendly. At least, she didn't come across like that in the interview. So that was definitely not my best. I did receive a call they were moving on in their search with other candidates. I wasn't that sad about it.
I interviewed for a position with a super-new start-up tech company. It has a lot of buzz right now. A LOT. OF. BUZZ. But it was a two-month contract. And I had to start, like, yesterday. And as much as I'm not at all content and completely annoyed with my current job, I made it clear that I could not start for another two weeks. At least. Because leaving before June would give my current coworkers a lot more work in an already full spring semester. So, I won't screw them over. I'm loyal like that.
I applied for a job for a company in KC in January (yes, THREE months ago). I thought the position was open. I received a response that they weren't looking for anyone. (Me= totally confused). But the company contacted me about a month ago. They had some positions open again. After 3 weeks of phone-tag, I finally had an interview scheduled for this past week. It went great! It's a very employee-focused company. Casual dress (ie jeans) and the HR recruiter was personable and friendly and there were really only two "interview" questions. It was a conversation, not a question and answer session. Between the really great interview (including)  the promise of an additional interview with some management in the area of the position) and the pingpong + video game room, I'm really excited for this position. The ONLY downside is the commute. Forty minutes each way. Not bad, but definitely a time suck.
But I do have a second interview next week, so it's promising.

But there are two positions IN the city I live that I REALLY want because the commute would, obviously, be shorter. And I could do more work for my boyfriend's company. BUT WHO KNOWS. I need a job offer before I make any decisions. But here I sit, with no jobs to apply for. And that seems weird. But I'm sure something will pop up in a few days. Or, even better, I have an actual job offer.
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But I have to time to write. And Henry's reminds me I want to sit in a coffee shop all day writing. Or doing something creative.
Or, thinking how me and my friend Becca should start an event planning business. Or, how I should be looking into more freelance writing opportunities. Or how there's so much stuff I could do and I just can't decide.

And how this blog entry has completely lost any focus.

What were we talking about again?

You know it when....

You know it's bad/serious you need a new job when your coworkers start emailing you/printing out job opportunities they think you'd be perfect for...

*Not that they want you to leave but they're ALSO looking for new jobs

#30!!!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is post number thirty for the month of November. As you can see by the fancy, flashy, shiny new badge on the left side of my post.

Right here
<----
No, down a bit more.

Isn't it fun?! And kind of snarky/sarcastic?! Love it.

I also love that I made it to the end of the month with 30 posts! I didn't quite get one posted every day but I doubled up several days to make up for it. 30 posts, 30 days. Never done before by this blog.

I hope you've enjoyed them! Some were silly and done with very little effort and some of them meant a lot. This one, too. And this one, definitely.

I don't think I could have done it without blogging pressure (only the good kind, of course) from Debbi, Amerika, Jenn and Eric. It really is true it's easier to do things with others. There were quite a few other people doing NaBloPoMo and I hope there are even more if we do it in February!

Edited to add: my friend Megan in Japan was just 5 posts away! So close!
And another Megan (in Lawrence) was part of the fun, too.

But can you believe it? December is tomorrow. TOMORROW!

What I'm excited about in December:

• my goal of commenting more on other blogs
• working on my own website (this is a maybe or a Jan/Feb sort of thing- my computer access is limited in a few weeks)
• spending Christmas with this goofy guy
• the first snow fall (I LIKE snow. Don't hate.)
• holiday baking fest 2010
• hopefully, a possible job interview (my grandma and I keep dreaming about it - that's gotta mean something, right?!)

Should have known...

It's been a tough few months. So as much as this NaBloPoMo (for me) should be about creativity and exploring different types of writing, figuring out what type of writer I want to be and creating a consistent writing platform, it certainly hasn't been the time for me to make a plan. So, what exactly have I been doing? Considering a new job, finding new jobs, getting increasingly hateful towards my current job, appreciating my coworkers making the current job worth standing.

Over the weekend, I also was in Iowa celebrating my grandpa's life with my family. It was a long, hard weekend. And there's so many things I could wish to express to my grandpa and to my family and things people told me about my him. I just don't think I'm at the point to share quite yet.

The Humble Midwest

There's a reason those of us who live in the Midwest United States do. It is not for the ocean front property. It's not for quick mountain getaway. We do have our own landscape but I think it is only truly appreciated by those who have lived here.

Those on the coasts, perhaps, have no idea why we'd want to live here.

Our answers? There could be several: the people are nicer, the cost of living is lower, it's a better place to raise the kids.

My answer? The people are humble.

¹hum·ble

: not proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive

2

: reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission humble apology>

3

a : ranking low in a hierarchy or scale : insignificant, unpretentious b : not costly or luxurious humble contraption>

Now, I don't agree with insignificant but unpretentious and not arrogant, sure. And clearly, this is a generalization. There are complete jerks who live in the Midwest but I'd like to think they don't get that far here. (Naive thought, sure. But I like thinking positively.)

The last semester in college, I attended a recruitment event. It was not an interview, but I sat down with the recruiter from this company in Chicago and what he hold me has stuck. He goes to schools in the Midwest and he goes to school east of Chicago - in Indiana and farther East. What he observed, was that students at Midwest schools (specifically, KU with ots rockin' J-School) don't sell themselves enough. They are too humble. The students don't brag enough about themselves to the  recruiters. Especially, when compared to the students from IU, Notre Dame and others to the East. 

fascinating.

Is the Midwest as a whole suffering in securing jobs when in competition with those from other parts of the country and even possibly, the world? I can't answer that. But it's certainly something to think about while job hunting and preparing for interviews.  

Today: I was called a "smart-ass" and a "millennial"...

... I was more upset about being called a millennial.

The beginning of this year was trying. This summer made up for the crappy first few months of 2010 and have moved it into the "awesome year" category.

Not that there are not still challenges. Dental bills are ridiculous and student loans are astronomical. It's crazy that I can have regrets about attending and paying for an out of state education yet still not regret coming to Lawrence, KS (I love living here and I have an incredible group of people that I know). But school loans are another post...

So, let's start from the beginning...

Work has been insane. I think our stress release has been to complain and make jokes to each other (and sometimes, not in the presence of certain others...) but I still fear we're all about to crack. Several of us have explicitly mentioned that we might (and probably are ) looking for other jobs. I can't say I don't agree... do you think the state of Kansas pays that well?

So, I walked into another part of the office, looking for a co-worker and my boss heard me, asked who it was and said "oh, another one of our smart-asses" (!!!)  I went in there and asked what I had done. I certainly was guilty of a few jokes/pranks in the office, but thought I had been pretty good lately. She assured me she meant it in the best way possible and it was actually a pretty hilarious moment.

Later, after the day of meetings and a presentation and general annoyance about work/finances I stopped into see some people I worked with when I was a student. Let's just say, I went to the wrong place for sympathy. "Not enough pay and too much work?" I was asked. Well, yeah. Exactly. If you find yourself in that situation, you try and resolve it. I don't have enough money to pay all my bills and don't want to be totally stressed out by the amount of money that goes to overdraft fees.

Basically, now I'm a whiny millennial. And having that conversation made me more whiny.

I don't think it's wrong to want to NOT be in a place where you can't buy ANYTHING for 4 days because your credit cards are maxed out and your bank account is in the red. Finances will only become more complicated with a family and I'd like to be financially stable before I begin that process. Is that too much to ask for?

I don't think so.