Moving Day

Day 14 of Unemployment

Today’s Accomplishments:

• Visited my aunt and uncle
• Visited the refugees and gave them a copy of the documentary they are featured in (Check it out for yourself)
• Ate a great lunch on a lovely patio with my parents
• Visited a friend’s storage unit to pick up some furniture she is giving me
• Packed up the contents of my Nashville home into 1 truck, 1 SUV and 1 Uhaul trailer… my life on wheels
• Drove the caravan back to Alabama
• Unpacked said caravan
• Had some dinner
• Watched a WWII documentary
• Began this blog post…

It’s been quite a day. I’m very tired and still have countless boxes to unpack or move to storage somewhere. I’m officially at home with my parents. This feels….interesting.

In other news, I had an interview on Friday that was quite possibly the best interview I’ve ever found myself in. If the interview had of been a date, there would have no doubt, hands down, unquestionably been a second one. The group’s mission statement and my resume’s purpose statement are almost mirror images of one another (and no, I didn’t tailor my statement of purpose to fit theirs… it just happened that way) . So what’s the catch you ask? Well, the group isn’t technically hiring right now. They are in the process of doubling the size of their staff but are in the planning phase. They are laying out what positions they need and what the roles will be. The good news is that when this happens there will likely be a spot for me. The bad news is, the time frame is anywhere from a month to a year. Regardless, I feel that I am off to a good start and am very encouraged by this.

Maybe I should sleep now – it’s been a long day!

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I’m Asking for Help

Day 4 of Unemployment

Sometimes in life you meet people who seem as if they are placed in your path simply to lift you up.  Lately people have been coming out of the woodwork to offer me help in my job search and, in like manner, in my life’s journey. I am truly blessed and thankful for such wonderful friends, family and connections.

I received a call today from an old mentor. She had no idea about my current life situation. She actually called to ask a favor of me. How quickly that turned around (ha!). I have yet another wolf in my wolfpack out there sniffing out a new career. I sent her an e-mail with my resume and wrote the following:

“I have tried doing the job search thing on my own. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it without help or using my contacts. I did and that wasn’t the best experience. I learned that I am a people person, I network and make friends because I am naturally inclined to do so. I now have no shame in using the resources I have made available to myself over the years especially if it will make me happy in the long run. I have helped several friends search for jobs lately, I don’t know why I was ashamed to ask for help before but I’m over it now 🙂  We live and we learn…”

After I sent it, I realized it was something I needed to share with whoever might be following this blog as it is a little insight into how I ended up where I am.  Sharing this has made me even more ok with asking for what I want. I want your assistance, I want a great job, I want to be needed and important, I want to help people, I want to be a part of something larger than the people in the place where I work, I want to be as happy as I am when I am serving others, I want to be intrigued and engaged in the subject matter I’m dealing with, I want more.

Priceless

Day 2 of Unemployment

Cost of Groceries for one for a week – $43

Cost of movie from RedBox for the evening- $1 (though I will probably forget to return it so it will be more like $3)

Cost of a day spent at home applying to jobs – $0

Knowing what your pets do all day while no one is around to watch them- Priceless!

Apparently Ren and Stimpy (Gellar and Alburn) get a big kick out of staring outside. There isn’t anything out there… maybe some butterflies or something but no cars, no people, no animals… nothing right now. They just stare. It’s a little weird honestly.

I would let them outside but the dog digs holes and howls at our neighbors and the cat hasn’t ever been out. I don’t think he’s tough enough to hack it as a street cat. Plus, I watched this documentary on how domestic cats are creating an imbalance in the ecosystem by over predation. Basically, the world wasn’t meant to have this many cats but our love for the animal has led to an average of one per household.  And while they are domesticated, they are still hunters and kill lots of birds, rabbits, mice… This causes problems – you understand.

So the dog and the cat get to stay inside with me and stare out the window at nothing while I apply to jobs.

My First Day

Day 1 of Unemployment

Today is my first day of unemployment. It was pretty great! When I got up this morning I had a message in my inbox from the CEO of a company I had applied to a few months back. At the time the position I applied for had been filled before they ever looked at my resume. I received the world’s nicest rejection letter in which this CEO told me she was very impressed wiht my resume and would be keeping it on file. She said she would contact me immediately if there were any other openings and that she would be sending my information around to some of her contacts. Well, this morning a position opened up. Unfortunately it is only a part time job. While the job would be great, I wouldn’t have health insurance and would have to find another job that would fit in my schedule so that I would be making enough money to stay above the poverty line. This is not ideal but it was nice to find this lovely e-mail in my inbox on my first day of unemployment!

What did I do today? Well, I slept late, had lunch on a patio in the wonderful spring weather with a friend, took a mid-day nap with the sun in my face and my cat cuddled up next to me,  went to the grocery store… and applied to a job or two. The worst thing that happened today was that I broke a fingernail. If everyday of unemployment is this nice, I just may never work again (Don’t take me to seriously here. If you know me you will realize that I am not the type that sits around and does nothing for long. I predict I will be over this unemployment business VERY quickly.) The beautiful weather this time of year makes me feel like I’m on spring break (minus the three S’s- Sun, Sand & Sea).  If you ever have to be unemployed, opt for an out of work stint at the beginning of spring!

-1: The Last Day

Welp, that was it. I’m no longer an employee of that company. My life is now hanging in the balance. Where will I end up and what will I end up doing… we’ll have to wait and see.

My sweet co-workers/friends got me this balloon arrangement to celebrate my last day. There is a Whinnie the Pooh and a My Little Pony balloon in the arrangement and a large one that says congrats and when you hit it the song ‘Celebration’ plays. They told the balloon lady to put together something really embarrassing. Mission accomplished!  It was really nice of them though. I will miss those people – but I will see them again, I have no doubts. I can be pretty bad at keeping in touch but it will happen eventually.

Well kids, I have some bad news to share. I didn’t get the job in Birmingham. I’m bummed but not going to dwell on it. Everything happens for a reason right? I know I would have been fantastic at that job but that doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t be too. Ultimately, it’s my Alma Mater and I want what/who is best for them/us.  Congratulations to whoever it is who got the job. I’m sure he/she will do great things for the college!

Back in the day I spent many summers at camp. I was a camper as a child and later on I was a counselor. At the end of each night I would have my campers join me in a Pow-Wow. At this Pow-Wow each camper was asked to list the low point of their day (the pow) the high point of their day ( the wow).  If I were having a Pow-Wow today it would go down like this:

Pow: I didn’t get the job in Birmingham

Wow: I have unlimited possibilities right now and have the freedom to go explore them.

“When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window”

– Maria, The Sound of Music

-3: No News Is Good News…

… I hope! I’ve found myself obsessing over this job interview I had on Monday. I’ve been mulling over every minute of it, analyzing everything said, every word of the thank you notes I sent, all the possibilities of what my references said… it needs to stop. They said I would hear something by Friday. I hope tomorrow goes by quickly – my brain is wearing me out!

In other news, my kickball team (Yes, kickball the sport of uncoordinated 8 year olds) had our first game of the season tonight. WE WON!!! Now this news might be a little less exciting if this team hadn’t played together last season. Last season we won just one game out of 12. So we’re already setting the bar high for this season.

Last season we were sponsored by a local bar, The Corner Pub, and our name was “The Corner Publicans” – I came up with the name and was proud of it at the moment. However throughout the season we were made fun of because people associated “Publicans” with “pubic”… I had been concerned that others would think we were all republicans but I guess I overestimated the logic of the average kickball player. I should have put my mind in the gutter a little more….

This season we opted to part ways with our sponsor. We found it to be quite a chore to show up at the Bar either before or after every game. It was across town from the fields where we play and really, how much bar food can you stand. Even once a week for three months is too much…

So this season we’re an independent team with no sponsorship. We had to pay our own entry fee but hey, we got to pick any name we wanted. So we had everyone on the team submit options then we had a vote. The winning team name was…… drum roll please…. “Who Farted?”  ( no, I’m not kidding). It seems that several of the guys on our team were on an intramural team in college with this name and they went undefeated. They think the name will bring us the same luck. I think the name will bring us shame but that’s just me thinking more than is necessary, as usual. So far they are right. One game down, one win for Who Farted?

Who Farted?

Take a good look at this team my friend. We could be the next league champs! Or we could just be the chumps wearing t-shirts that say who farted and have a picture of a man wearing a gas mask. On a side note, I stopped into a local eatery on my way to the game to grab a beverage. I passed a table in the restaurant where there was a family eating. I felt shamed by the words on my shirt. “Fart” was not an ok word when I was a kid. I felt like I might as well have been wearing a shirt with the other *F* word on it.  I tried to cover it up with my purse… Oh the shame!!!