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A brief list of positive things

May 16, 2011 By 5 Comments

Fresh Mint, by Andrew Scrivani

My head really hurts, so here’s a short list of the good things that happened today to make me feel better:

         1. Donald Trump is finished with his joke and is no longer running for president

  1.          2.  Alex had a good interview – cross your fingers for him

         3. One of my coworkers brought tasty doughnuts to the office

         4. Alex and I found mint in the vacant lot near the house (mojitos and mint juleps all summer!)

Hey, it isn’t much, but it made my day better.

Got anything to add?

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The hubby gets a job

April 27, 2011 By 4 Comments

10 Pounder, by Stephen Worrell

Alex began a new job today.  I didn’t want to say anything until we were absolutely sure it was happening.  I’m filled with all sorts of conflicting feelings about the whole thing.  It isn’t a graphic design job, it doesn’t make a lot of money, and he’ll have to work a lot of nights.  On the other hand, I’m relieved that he finally got something and some money coming in is better than no money coming in.

It’s a job he’s done before so it should be easy for him.  Plus, there is room for advancement in the company, so it could lead to better hours and better pay.  I really should be ecstatic about this turn of events.

I’m sad that he’ll be working a lot of nights.  I’m not afraid to be alone – I’ve got those two big dogs, after all.  I just think it will be lonely without him. 

I guess it’s just hit me that both of us have taken entry-level jobs that don’t even require a college degree.  We’re both over forty with years of work experience and this is what we have settled for.  As Alex put it, “we’re working our way down the corporate ladder.”  I’ve been looking at my job as a way into the museum system, but it does make me wonder if I should have tried to find something with a more secure career path. 

To top off the whole thing, Alex got a call from another employer on Monday.  He did a mini-interview over the phone, and the guy said he’d talk to his boss and maybe give Alex a call for an in-person interview.  This job is in graphic design, and pays over double what this new job does.  It would be amazing for him to get this new prospect, but it isn’t wise to get excited.  This scenario has happened before with no positive results.  It almost feels like the powers that be are just teasing us.  It’s like Miss Prissy from the old Foghorn Leghorn cartoons offering the casaba melon and snatching it away.

For all the positive aspects of this journey, starting over can really be a big kick in the pants.

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No foolin’…this year

April 1, 2011 By 6 Comments

"Quick Mama! There's a man in the maid's bedroom!....April Fool! It's only Papa!" (French April Fool ephemera cir. 1913 courtesy LeIris202)

I really would have liked to do a great April Fool’s Day hoax on my blog, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured that just about anything I could come up with would fall flat.  I spent quite a bit of time ranging around the internet looking at all the fun stuff everyone from Google to NPR was perpetrating.  I thought, “Yeah!  I’ll tell everyone something wild and crazy about my life then laugh at the suckers who fall for it.”

 Problem is, I’d have to go with something really cool happening – like Alex getting a job (still no word) or me winning the lottery – or something awful, like me getting fired or the dogs running away.  Since beginning this blog, I’ve found that a lot of people out there are rooting for us to succeed.  Messing with some of them in this way would be kind of mean (some would be perfectly fine with it, and you know who you are.) 

One of my friends made up a great story on Facebook about a new job where she will be redrawing maps of the Western Hemisphere.  She said she was chosen because of her excellent sense of direction (lie) and would be giving away all her animals to do the job (BIG lie, she’d never give up her animals.)  A few friends picked up on the joke, but more just gave loving support and good wishes.  She isn’t in a bad situation, so you can laugh at the silly well-wishers as they realize their mistake.

Next year, I plan to be in such a good place, I’m gonna mercilessly trick you all!

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On the cusp – a new job, a new home

March 28, 2011 By 5 Comments

Shack, by Gail des Jardin

We’re so close to reaching a couple of milestones in our continuing saga, I almost don’t want to write about it and jinx it.  But, I must.

Alex has made it through three – count ‘em, three – interviews with the latest company and was even sent for a drug test.  So, we’re fairly confident he’s going to get an offer.  It won’t be great money, but there’s room for advancement in the company.  On top of that news, we found a place for rent that we actually like and have sent in the application.

I’m really hoping all this works out.  We are so close to a new normal, but it wouldn’t take much for it to come crashing down.  Though Alex is confident about this job, you just never know what employers are thinking.  He could have said something they didn’t like about a baseball player, or worn the wrong tie. (Alex will tell you he never wears the wrong tie, others just have bad taste.)  However, I’m willing to bet there aren’t that many Spanish-speakers with past experience in this field living in Pittsburgh, let alone applying to this exact job. 

I fretted about handing in an application for the house before Alex got a job, it just doesn’t look good to have that big blank spot on the app.  But, I didn’t want someone else to get the place just because they got there first.  And, of course, there’s my not-so-hot credit.  I wrote a letter to clarify our situation so the rental company would see that we’re not bad people, we just hit bad times.  Alex and I used to ask potential renters to include anything they thought might be helpful for our decision, so I figured they might want to know, too.  It could backfire, though.  They may think it’s just another story made up by desperate ne’er-do-wells.  I know we got quite a few interesting stories from renters.  The best, by far, was the evil twin who stole the woman’s identity and screwed up her credit.  There was no sister, but you’ve got to give her props for coming up with it and telling it right to my face without so much as a blink.

Update: 

Right after I wrote the above, I got a message from Alex that we are approved for the house!  We didn’t even have to wait a day for an answer.  I am now both delighted and scared.  I didn’t know I could do that.  Happy nausea is a new feeling for me. 

Whew!  Now I really hope the job comes through.

Fingers, toes, and arms crossed, please.  Feel free to send good vibes, think good thoughts, say a prayer, or dance in the moonlight clad only in bells and blue paint.

P.S. If you send me tasteful, artistic pictures of said moonlight dancing, I will post them on the blog and benefit from the new readership I am sure to get.  I will probably then alienate this new readership by not posting any more nekkid pictures, but it will be fun for everyone while it lasts.

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