The Adventure of Getting a New Job

It's no secret that I've been needing to find a new job. I found out a year ago that my position was going to be downsized at my last job, and I've been looking on and off since then. Off because of the time needed to study for the GRE and apply to grad school (which, if you'll remember, I wasn't accepted too) and for general mental health. Looking for a job is a tiring and emotional process full of a lot of downs and not very many ups.

In this year I had only had one interview. One. In twelve months. I had also been invited to take two tests. So last Wednesday when I applied for two jobs that were miraculously in my field, I wasn't expecting to hear anything for a couple of days, if ever. Two hours after hitting "submit" on one of those jobs, I got a phone call. Which led to an interview the next day. At the end of which I was offered the position and asked to come back that afternoon to work for a few hours. 

I'm pretty sure I was in shock the entire weekend. 

I'm working on the production team of a company based in another state that makes training videos and materials. There are about four of us in the office--it's pretty tiny. When I officially start next week I will be an editorial assistant, mostly working with the questions at the end of the courses. I think. I totally understood it when it was explained to me but now I'm not so sure. 

What I'm doing for a few days this week is helping with the filming of some of the videos. This means I push the record button on the camera. College degrees, people! They come in handy!

Just kidding. I'm glad to be working in my field and having some money coming in instead having to use all my savings. That's a blessing. And you never know! I might actually like it here. Time will tell. 

I just want to thank everyone who have been supportive during the last year, who prayed for me, and helped me along my winding path. 

Week One of My Unemployment

I've made it through the first week of being unemployed. I'm not sure how much longer I'll have, or can take, but I'm attempting to keep myself busy.

This week I would wake up in the mornings around 6:30 or so (because I don't feel as much like a bum if I do that), take a shower, dress, and do my hair and make-up. I'd read my scriptures while eating breakfast and then sit out on the desk to write. Or pretend to write while actually finding new ways to distract myself . . . This is a problem, but I'm just going to keep trying and hopefully I can learn to write for a couple of hours at a time with minimum distractions.

The mornings have been gorgeous and the perfect temperature. If only it stayed 75 throughout the entire day.

Every day I picked a different room in the apartment to clean. And then I'd go at it with a vengeance! It kept me busy and made me feel like I was actually doing something, but I was glad when M came home from work because it's also been a little tough. By Tuesday I couldn't wait to go out and see my friends in a play--I felt like I had been stuck in a hot apartment and needed to be out and about (which was exactly true).

You know back in the post-war days when married women weren't allowed to work? What did they do all day?! If they didn't have kids, it must have gotten really lonely. Of course, they probably volunteered or had other women to do things with, but still. A house can only be so clean, right? I am in a different situation (besides the whole not being married thing) in that I can't even go out shopping or decorate my apartment. I can't afford to. I don't want to drive too much, because gas. So I'm left with what I can do in my hot apartment. And it's hot because M and I are kind of cheap--even more so with me out of a job at the moment. Turning on our air-conditioning doubles our electricity bill, so we don't like to do it. 

Anyway, I'm finding ways to keep myself occupied. I decided to work on my penmanship and ordered the Specerian Penmanship Theory book and copybooks. I hope it works! It's tough because I have to change how I hold my pen (I've been doing it wrong my entire life, which I knew, but now I'm changing it) and so my hand kind of cramps up because I'm not used to that and the motions I'm making. I'm still doing the job searching thing, and I'll probably start reading more (or working on my embroidery more while binge watching shows . . .).

June Book of the Month

Obviously, keeping up on the book of the month posts is a lot harder since I started my book review blog (new reviews go up every Monday!).

The book I'm recommended this month is Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe. This autobiography blew my mind several times through the reading of it. The people and situations that Lowe found himself in from a young age is just amazing (meeting Liza Minnelli when he was eight or so, being on the set of Star Wars, being neighbors to Martin Sheen . . .). And the behind the scenes look at 80s and 90s Hollywood is really fascinating.

Lowe writes truthfully, but without putting any blame on anyone. It's honest, heartfelt, and guileless. There are the ups and downs of his life from his roles to his sex tape scandal to going to rehab.

The "f" word is used fairly liberally.