(no subject)
Where to start? It feels like the past week and a half has been a whirlwind of events and happenings...
The day after Thanksgiving I got rid of my old car. I took it to CARMAX, and they bought it for $1,600. Even with the hole in the roof. And the dent in the side. And the transmission not working well. And the dead car battery.
That car was trouble to the last. I went to retrieve an old towel that I used to clean it, and the alarm went off!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The day after that, on Saturday, I went car shopping and settled on a lovely gray Corolla. I decided at the last moment to splurge a little on ABS brakes and Side-impact Airbags. I refused to pay for a six CD changer. Since they didn't have the features I wanted on a car with a single CD player, they gave it to me for free. That is, the six CD changer. I still had to pay for the other stuff.
I went to the bank for a cashier's check the following Monday and arranged for insurance...
By the way, whoever says they're saving a bundle on car insurance with GEICO is lying, because they are charging me up the wazoo!
... I signed the papers for the car and handed over the check Monday evening. I am now officially poor! But I am now the owner of a safe, fuel-efficient, reliable car. So I'm happy! It really opens the doors around here for me. It means I can:
- go to the local university and take night classes
- participate in theater again (auditions for 'Ragtime' are in early January)
- or stay in the city and go to events.
It will also come in handy in case there is no public transport to my next job and I have to commute.
So all in all, I'm pretty satisfied.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brenda's first deal -- Bullard's Crossing -- closed on Monday or Tuesday. She was pretty excited about it, and she treated us all to lunch. We ordered from Bertucci's and sat around the large table in the conference room.
Somewhere in all this, I blabbed about not moving with the company in June, about being part of the 20%. That is, I belong to the twenty percent of people in our company who are being laid off in June.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Charlie comes up to me on Tuesday and asked if he had heard correctly, that I was part of the 20%. I blurted out some half-hearted jokes about it, so he wouldn't feel bad about it, and said that I was actually kind of glad about it. It was God's way of telling me to move on. I mean, I don't want to be a receptionist all my life. (Although, I was really happy here. Thanks, God, for my time with that company.)
He asked if I had thought about what I wanted to do next. I said I didn't really know. (I felt small saying that.) But I did say that I thought it would be nice to get another job in the same business. I wanted the opportunity to learn more about it. It seemed really interesting.
Then I blurted about how I had walked with Freddie Mac, during a recent walkathon, and how I liked the people I had walked with, and how it seemed like a very positive company for its employees. I wanted to work for a company that provides a positive atmosphere and gives its employees the chance to socialize and to participate in organized events for the community. I like that about Freddie.
He said, "That's great. I have a friend at Freddie's. Her name is Georgia. I'll give her a call and see what they have as entry-level opportunities."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I have been working on a Christmas project for the company. We have a Christmas tree up in our lobby... we have 'Toys for Tots' under it, incidentally... and I am in charge of updating the tree ornaments. We have pictures of our employees hanging in little frames on our Christmas tree as ornaments. Since half of the employees are new hires since the last time those ornaments were used, I have to take pictures of all of them.
I got a pretty funny one of Brenda as she was running away. (She does not want her picture taken.) The photograph looks like one of those that are attached to the biography of Lemony Snicket at the end of his Series of Unfortunate Events books.
All in all, I have about 26 pictures to take, upload, shrink to appropriate size and assemble into ornaments. I might be taking my Adobe Photoshop in to work.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Must remember to unplug lights from tree before I leave in the evenings.
It would not look good on my resume if I burn down my last place of employment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
One day this past week, I came in to work and it was raining really hard all the way during my commute. I remember thinking I must have stepped in every puddle on my way to work -- it was that bad. It rained through till mid-morning.
When it stopped, I saw one of the most beautiful sights. I looked up from my desk and the sunlight coming in through the window shone through the raindrops creating a curtain of gold beads behind our lighted Christmas tree.
It was quite a stunning sight!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Charlie came to my desk again on Wednesday evening and said he'd gotten in touch with his friend, Georgia, and there was an entry-level position that I might be good in: a Mortgage Loan Admin. 'Just get me your resume and I'll pass it on,' he said.
'Hey, Dan, you'll help Dorothy with her resume, won't you?'
Dan was walking through the lobby on his way out the door.
'Yeah, sure. What for?'
'We're getting Dorothy a job with Freddie Mac.'
'Wow, really. You're looking for a job with Freddie Mac?'
I smiled nervously. Not sure what to say. I suddenly felt like a Cinderella, whose Godmothers were trying to figure out what to make her wear for the ball.
'Yeah, I'm talking to my friend, Georgia.'
'Freddie Mac... If you get a job with them you'll never have to look for work again.'
'Yeah, it's like working for the government.'
'No, it's better than working for the government! It's subsidized!'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I came home and updated my resume that night to include my experience at my new job. I was unaware of how much I've learned working for this company! I have about six or seven new bullet points on my resume now.
I took it in to work on Thursday, but through being busy at some time or another, it was about a quarter till 4pm, before I could get my resume to Dan.
I was going to stand around and listen to his critique on it, but about a minute in to it, my phone started ringing. I gave him an uneasy look then apologized, 'I have to go.'
As I turned to run out the door, I could have sworn I heard him say: 'Don't worry! I'll look it over, sweetie.'
Sweetie? What was that about?
It was kind of fatherly. But Dan is not nearly old enough to be my father.
It makes me feel gooey inside. It made me smile.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ten minutes later, Dan came out and gave me his suggestions. He suggested we should also consult with Charlie to see what he thought.
So I typed the changes on my computer and printed them out. I ran into Charlie on my way back from the printer. I gave him my resume with Dan's revisions.
He started marking it up with a pen. He was having difficulty, because he's left-handed and that was the hand that was in the cast.
Dan came out on his way out the door, and he and Charlie got into an in-depth discussion on my resume. You've got to include more mortgage loan terms if you can. You've got to come up with some facts and figures for these sections over here... make them seem more impressive. Create a separate section for your volunteer work. Move this over here. Yeah, this is better than that...
"Coordinates services from third-party vendors."
Never mind that I have no idea what that phrase means. But I didn't want to seem stupid and ask. I might have to break down on Monday and ask them what they meant by that.
By the time they were done with it, they had been discussing it for about 20 mins to a half-hour. They had stayed ten minutes past closing time.
'Bring it in again and we'll discuss it some more tomorrow,' Charlie said.
But on Friday I had nothing to give them. I had fallen asleep before I could do anything with it. (Charlie's handwriting, as I looked over it on the bus, was indecipherable to me.) I begged off saying I had not had a chance to work on it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I worked on it all day on Friday, and I have to say I think it's really pretty good. I woke up this morning (Sat.) dreaming that I was going over it yet again.
I have to write a cover letter to go with it. And I think I should write a short note of introduction for Georgia to read and know a little more about me. If she's going to take it to the HR dept, it might come in useful.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I went shopping today... in my new car. Well, first, I turned in the plates to my old car. Then I went shopping. I bought three sweaters and a merino wool blouse on sale for $91, and some very snappy shoes for $35.
I know I'm gaining weight... belly fat, actually... but I had a hard time fitting into things as usual. Not because I have too much fat, but because I'm too small. It was very odd. I'm pretty sure I was a size 4 before. But I was in a size 2 skirt and I was able to hold the waist out about another 2 inches. It was extremely odd.
I had the oddest feeling that I was shrinking. Impossible, right?
The day after Thanksgiving I got rid of my old car. I took it to CARMAX, and they bought it for $1,600. Even with the hole in the roof. And the dent in the side. And the transmission not working well. And the dead car battery.
That car was trouble to the last. I went to retrieve an old towel that I used to clean it, and the alarm went off!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The day after that, on Saturday, I went car shopping and settled on a lovely gray Corolla. I decided at the last moment to splurge a little on ABS brakes and Side-impact Airbags. I refused to pay for a six CD changer. Since they didn't have the features I wanted on a car with a single CD player, they gave it to me for free. That is, the six CD changer. I still had to pay for the other stuff.
I went to the bank for a cashier's check the following Monday and arranged for insurance...
By the way, whoever says they're saving a bundle on car insurance with GEICO is lying, because they are charging me up the wazoo!
... I signed the papers for the car and handed over the check Monday evening. I am now officially poor! But I am now the owner of a safe, fuel-efficient, reliable car. So I'm happy! It really opens the doors around here for me. It means I can:
- go to the local university and take night classes
- participate in theater again (auditions for 'Ragtime' are in early January)
- or stay in the city and go to events.
It will also come in handy in case there is no public transport to my next job and I have to commute.
So all in all, I'm pretty satisfied.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brenda's first deal -- Bullard's Crossing -- closed on Monday or Tuesday. She was pretty excited about it, and she treated us all to lunch. We ordered from Bertucci's and sat around the large table in the conference room.
Somewhere in all this, I blabbed about not moving with the company in June, about being part of the 20%. That is, I belong to the twenty percent of people in our company who are being laid off in June.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Charlie comes up to me on Tuesday and asked if he had heard correctly, that I was part of the 20%. I blurted out some half-hearted jokes about it, so he wouldn't feel bad about it, and said that I was actually kind of glad about it. It was God's way of telling me to move on. I mean, I don't want to be a receptionist all my life. (Although, I was really happy here. Thanks, God, for my time with that company.)
He asked if I had thought about what I wanted to do next. I said I didn't really know. (I felt small saying that.) But I did say that I thought it would be nice to get another job in the same business. I wanted the opportunity to learn more about it. It seemed really interesting.
Then I blurted about how I had walked with Freddie Mac, during a recent walkathon, and how I liked the people I had walked with, and how it seemed like a very positive company for its employees. I wanted to work for a company that provides a positive atmosphere and gives its employees the chance to socialize and to participate in organized events for the community. I like that about Freddie.
He said, "That's great. I have a friend at Freddie's. Her name is Georgia. I'll give her a call and see what they have as entry-level opportunities."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I have been working on a Christmas project for the company. We have a Christmas tree up in our lobby... we have 'Toys for Tots' under it, incidentally... and I am in charge of updating the tree ornaments. We have pictures of our employees hanging in little frames on our Christmas tree as ornaments. Since half of the employees are new hires since the last time those ornaments were used, I have to take pictures of all of them.
I got a pretty funny one of Brenda as she was running away. (She does not want her picture taken.) The photograph looks like one of those that are attached to the biography of Lemony Snicket at the end of his Series of Unfortunate Events books.
All in all, I have about 26 pictures to take, upload, shrink to appropriate size and assemble into ornaments. I might be taking my Adobe Photoshop in to work.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Must remember to unplug lights from tree before I leave in the evenings.
It would not look good on my resume if I burn down my last place of employment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
One day this past week, I came in to work and it was raining really hard all the way during my commute. I remember thinking I must have stepped in every puddle on my way to work -- it was that bad. It rained through till mid-morning.
When it stopped, I saw one of the most beautiful sights. I looked up from my desk and the sunlight coming in through the window shone through the raindrops creating a curtain of gold beads behind our lighted Christmas tree.
It was quite a stunning sight!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Charlie came to my desk again on Wednesday evening and said he'd gotten in touch with his friend, Georgia, and there was an entry-level position that I might be good in: a Mortgage Loan Admin. 'Just get me your resume and I'll pass it on,' he said.
'Hey, Dan, you'll help Dorothy with her resume, won't you?'
Dan was walking through the lobby on his way out the door.
'Yeah, sure. What for?'
'We're getting Dorothy a job with Freddie Mac.'
'Wow, really. You're looking for a job with Freddie Mac?'
I smiled nervously. Not sure what to say. I suddenly felt like a Cinderella, whose Godmothers were trying to figure out what to make her wear for the ball.
'Yeah, I'm talking to my friend, Georgia.'
'Freddie Mac... If you get a job with them you'll never have to look for work again.'
'Yeah, it's like working for the government.'
'No, it's better than working for the government! It's subsidized!'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I came home and updated my resume that night to include my experience at my new job. I was unaware of how much I've learned working for this company! I have about six or seven new bullet points on my resume now.
I took it in to work on Thursday, but through being busy at some time or another, it was about a quarter till 4pm, before I could get my resume to Dan.
I was going to stand around and listen to his critique on it, but about a minute in to it, my phone started ringing. I gave him an uneasy look then apologized, 'I have to go.'
As I turned to run out the door, I could have sworn I heard him say: 'Don't worry! I'll look it over, sweetie.'
Sweetie? What was that about?
It was kind of fatherly. But Dan is not nearly old enough to be my father.
It makes me feel gooey inside. It made me smile.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ten minutes later, Dan came out and gave me his suggestions. He suggested we should also consult with Charlie to see what he thought.
So I typed the changes on my computer and printed them out. I ran into Charlie on my way back from the printer. I gave him my resume with Dan's revisions.
He started marking it up with a pen. He was having difficulty, because he's left-handed and that was the hand that was in the cast.
Dan came out on his way out the door, and he and Charlie got into an in-depth discussion on my resume. You've got to include more mortgage loan terms if you can. You've got to come up with some facts and figures for these sections over here... make them seem more impressive. Create a separate section for your volunteer work. Move this over here. Yeah, this is better than that...
"Coordinates services from third-party vendors."
Never mind that I have no idea what that phrase means. But I didn't want to seem stupid and ask. I might have to break down on Monday and ask them what they meant by that.
By the time they were done with it, they had been discussing it for about 20 mins to a half-hour. They had stayed ten minutes past closing time.
'Bring it in again and we'll discuss it some more tomorrow,' Charlie said.
But on Friday I had nothing to give them. I had fallen asleep before I could do anything with it. (Charlie's handwriting, as I looked over it on the bus, was indecipherable to me.) I begged off saying I had not had a chance to work on it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I worked on it all day on Friday, and I have to say I think it's really pretty good. I woke up this morning (Sat.) dreaming that I was going over it yet again.
I have to write a cover letter to go with it. And I think I should write a short note of introduction for Georgia to read and know a little more about me. If she's going to take it to the HR dept, it might come in useful.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I went shopping today... in my new car. Well, first, I turned in the plates to my old car. Then I went shopping. I bought three sweaters and a merino wool blouse on sale for $91, and some very snappy shoes for $35.
I know I'm gaining weight... belly fat, actually... but I had a hard time fitting into things as usual. Not because I have too much fat, but because I'm too small. It was very odd. I'm pretty sure I was a size 4 before. But I was in a size 2 skirt and I was able to hold the waist out about another 2 inches. It was extremely odd.
I had the oddest feeling that I was shrinking. Impossible, right?