July has been a crazy month! I am going to have to break it up into a couple of themed posts to get through all of the stuff that has happened. I need to tell you about my trip to Wisconsin. I need to tell you about my friend coming to visit. But this post will be telling you about my new PUPPY!
On July 2nd Joe and I went to pick up our baby. It was a long drive up the west-side of Florida, but we broke it up by stopping first at Hobby Lobby and then by having lunch with J's uncle and cousin. I was really happy to get to Hobby Lobby. J said that I couldn't stop smiling as I was walking through each and every aisle. I see so many possibilities while walking through a craft store. I had to restrain myself to keep it at a reasonable cost. Then we went farther north and had good burgers at Square 1 Burgers. It was nice to talk to J's family since we don't get to see them often. Then we continued our trek towards puppy!
Originally we had wanted a boy puppy. But when we went the first time to meet the puppies we were holding ours thinking it was a boy only to find out it was a girl. We didn't really care. We liked her personality the best. She was calm and confident. It was a bit funny because we were going to name the puppy Charlie and we had picked out this blue suede studded collar. We've always liked the name Ruby for a girl, but we kicked around some other names like Adelaide and Mona. She's an Italian Greyhound, so we thought it would be funny to name her Mona Lisa. My dad thought if it was a boy we should have named it Linguini. :) But Ruby stuck and we then bought a red leash, a red collar, and a red harness. I actually made her a jeweled collar. I wanted her to have ruby red rhinestones on a red collar, but I couldn't find one online. They were all white rhinestones. She doesn't fit in that collar yet because she is teeny weeny.
She was born April 29th and right now she weighs just under 5 pounds sopping wet. She'll grow. She'll get taller, but not bulkier. She looks like the dog version of J- skinny body with long, long legs. She is "seal" colored (a dark gray). So we still have monochromatic animals: black and white cats and now a gray and white dog. Ruby is very funny. Her ears are always roaming around on her head. Sometimes they are both flopped forward. Sometimes they are both flopped to the left or the right (I call this look the Justin Beiber). Sometimes one is flipped backwards, and sometimes both are backwards. She likes being held like a baby, or even upside down, so her long ears hang low (yes, just like the children's song). She reminds me a bit of the bat from Fern Gulley because she can also go nutso around the apartment. She has a long face like a fruit bat too. Perhaps these aren't the most flattering descriptions, but she is adorable- I guarantee it!
She does have bursts of energy that leave J and I in stitches with her antics, but she also loves a good cuddle. She can sleep for hours and in really funny positions. She will squish herself between me and the couch, or lay with all of her legs straight up in the air. When we first brought her home, we had the hardest time trying to have her calm down in her crate. She cried and cried for the first couple of weeks. I was exhausted. Now she is a little better (and we actually let her sleep in a play pen and only have her in a crate when we are out of the house). She still wakes up to whine at 5 am everyday.
We are trying to be good puppy-parents. We brush her teeth, clean her ears, give her baths when necessary, and play a lot. She doesn't really like going outside, we got really bit up by mosquitoes the first two weeks... we waited and waited outside for her to potty and then we take her inside and whoop-there she goes. She is really good about using the piddle pad we have for her in her play pen. But sometimes at night she gets bored and likes to chew it up. It makes for a messy morning.
Ruby makes us laugh and talking in stupid baby voices. But she has a dark side. My aunt sent a squeaky teddy that is the perfect size for her. It is now called one-eyed teddy (don't worry, it was a felt eye and not a button). And then there is the raccoon from my friend E that gets death throttled frequently. She also likes the huge hedgehog J and I got for her, and the smaller, giggling one my mom sent. She is afraid of the tire toy my mom sent that has a bell, though. It's just crazy to watch this sweet, tiny puppy shake toys to oblivion. And she can make horrible noises. She will make cute, little grunts and squeaks, but if she feels ignored in her crate, she turns into a gremlin. They are gutteral growls and high pitched yips and then just when you think her likeness to Linda Blair a la The Exorcist cannot get any closer she will then vomit... JUST LIKE THE EXORCIST. :) (By the way, for those of you who know me well, you know that I despise scary movies. I've only seen THAT CLIP of The Exorcist because some girls did a project on the History of Horror films in my AP US History class.) I don't care what she sounds like, I am still absolutely crazy about her.
Ruby has brought a bright spot to our home. J and I are so happy to have her. Of course it is a lot of work, and she does make scheduling a little bit harder (she's not used to being alone for a full day-- benefit of J's position), but right now, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll be sure to regale you with plenty of Ruby stories in the future.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Settling In
I suppose some of you have been wondering why I haven't been posting. Okay, maybe only my mom, and then she calls, and maybe my computer is feeling neglected-- STOP ACTING UP COMPUTER AND THEN I'LL SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU. Ugh. Well, that, and I get really tired of being attached to my computer and phone at work so I mostly just loaf around and read when I get home after dinner has been consumed and cleaned up. And I find myself going to bed earlier and earlier. I start brushing my teeth at 9 PM for goodness' sake! And it's not like I get up any earlier to be productive. I just don't sleep very well at night (I have an active imagination and my dreams are EXHAUSTING!), so I like just -resting-.
I have been occupied, though. Busy is the wrong word for my personal life. I'm busy at work. I'm occupied in my personal life. And I'm starting to settle in to the fact that J and I are really LIVING in Miami. For the longest time I felt like I was on an extended (and horrible) summer vacation. There is almost no change in the seasons, and I was unemployed for so long that I had lost a sense of passing time. We've been here for ten full months now. Where has the time gone? And why is there no snow? I miss chilly weather. Not FREEZING weather, just brisk, flurry-flake weather. My sweaters stare at me longingly from my closet. And I could take a break from this humidity. I look simultaneously sweaty and pinched. I'm always rocking this slight sheen of sweat and in order to prevent my hair from doing its "devil-horn curls" I have to pull it back in a really severe bun with a head-ache inducing headband. And there are some people down here who look fresh and pressed. I look wrinkly and disheveled. Fall cannot come soon enough. And the end of hurricane season. I'm terrified of one happening and then having to fight for supplies in a sort of post-apocalyptic sort of way. J and I joke about getting a shot-gun for times like that. But sometimes I'm not joking. Especially on the off-chance that zombies could be real.
I've settled-in in a couple of ways. The most excited and expensive way: I've invested in REAL sunglasses. I was using $12 sunglasses from Target that I had actually purchased down here when we came to look for apartments. I had bought a pair of faux-Ray Bans (Wayfarer Style) because they de-emphasize my rotund head. And a pair of aviators that ACTUALLY looked good on said rotund noggin. Of course the lenses on both are scratched, so they are not very fun to wear anymore. I have a pair of Versace (real, thank you very much)sunglasses that I love that my grandmother found and gave to me. But it just doesn't look right to be wearing tres-chic eye wear and sweaty, wrinkly clothing while trying to tame the frizz. I'm not worthy. :) And they are a little tight on my globe-like head. So, I've been telling J, "It's time to invest in a good pair of Wayfarers." Sunglasses are very prevalent down here, but still expensive. Not fair, supply and demand model! And thus I had been dragging my feet on making a $145 purchase when I have oh so many loan payments that are that price and higher. But whilst browsing one of my favorite fashion websites, they mentioned that TOMS is now doing eye wear in their One-For-One model (like their shoes). Basically when you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, a child in need also gets a pair. And now, with my purchase of $145 I was able to get decent sunglasses in the Wayfarer style, and someone will be able to see more clearly (they meet different needs: surgeries, glasses, and basic ocular health care). So I can now feel good about myself! And feel stylish! Without squinting in the sun. And don't worry- I got a very sturdy case so they won't get scratched. (When the guy at Nordstrom's asked me which designer cleaning cloth I wanted I chose Tom Ford because I think he's handsome... I'm a dork.)
Another way I know I'm settling: I got a library card. I don't know why it took me so long. I'm quite ashamed of myself really, but I've been reading a lot, I assure you. Now I can do it for free. The library system down here is decent. J's gotten me a couple of books from his school's library which is decent as well. I was spoiled with Madison Public Libraries, so I am always hoping for that experience. I have 8 books to read and it reminds me of the good old days when I would bike to the nearby public library and load up my back-pack, devouring the ten books in less than ten days. Yes, I've always read this much. Friends and family can attest to this. If I wasn't so lazy with this blog I'd do a book review blog. So, J and I went the three blocks to our local public library (lucky again, to be so close to a community center) and I stood in queue and proudly received my card. And then I promptly left J reading while I headed for the shelves. As my arms got heavier and heavier with books (some on my reading list, and some new) my spirit got lighter. There are a few places on earth where I feel happy to a point of delirium and giddiness. They are, as follows: libraries, book stores, office supply stores, craft stores, and THE CONTAINER STORE!!! And I found myself smiling as I met old friends on the shelf: Wind in the Willows, Redwall, Wee Free Men, and on and on... One of my friends had asked for book recommendations. Well, here is a list of books I've read since March. I hope some are inspiring:
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
The Ichdiean Universe Trilogy by Sherrilynn Kenyon
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice Through the Looking Class by Lewis Carroll
The Devil's Queen by Jeanne Kalogridis
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley (graphic novel)
Scott Pilgrim Books by Bryan Lee O'Malley (seven graphic novels)
The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
I really liked the Alice books and the graphic novels. The Witch's Daughter was pretty good. Angelology was frustrating because I didn't know it was part of a trilogy that's not done yet (like when I had read A Discovery of Witches-- but I loved that book). Right now I'm working on The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe. Jury's still out.
And I've also added something to my social life: CRAFTING NIGHT! One of the women I work with was trying to figure out how to make me feel less lonely down here. She has a daughter my age, but we've got polar different interests, so she was peppering me with questions of what I like to do. I had been asking her what "kids-my-age" do down here and none of her suggestions were interesting to me. (J and I went out one night and I ordered my usual, vodka cranberry, and we were just chilling until the bill came and my tiny drink cost $11!!!) One day I wore a shirt that I had altered (I sewed cloth flowers to the collar.) And she complimented it. I told her I made it and craft night was born! She'll tell you she's not particularly crafty, but I'd beg to differ. She's great at painting. But the leader of our little rag-tag crafting group is her mom. She is the most amazing crafter I've ever seen. And I've seen some crafters. :) Her whole house looks like a block of the shops in Cedarburg. Her work looks professional. But she doesn't sell it. She just gives it away at the holidays. She's taught me to do a complicated crochet project (I'm not giving out details- they are going to be my Christmas gifts), and she figured out how to use the sewing machine that my mom had given me. Making stuffed animals will be a zillion times faster now. She's a very good teacher, and she's got a lot of crafting experience being 82. So the three of us gather at her house on Wednesdays now. Sometimes we order food, sometimes we pack extra in our lunches, and sometimes others will join us- which is nice. It's nice to have something to look forward to in the middle of a crazy week. Even though I'm not hanging out with people my age, I don't care. I'd rather be listening to this mother-daughter duo chit-chat while I try to do the many crochet stitches. Honestly, I get more out of it then if I were doing jell-o shots at one of the many drinking establishments. (Also, I hate how superficial Miami can be, so one less time to worry about looking sweaty and pinched...)
Luckily, I've been able to see two friends down here. My old, old high school friend has started a new business and he was downtown for a company meeting. I was able to hang out with him while J was home in Wisconsin. It was nice to see him. It felt just like old times, except I felt a little different and a little wiser from my high-school days. It was nice to reconnect and see someone who had been such a big part of those four formative years. And to laugh about how ridiculous those four years were. (Well- he was a grade below me, so three, but still...) And one of my bestie gal pals (part of what I am going to call the Fantastic Five from the college years and doing time in Education) was down in Fort Myers for a family wedding. J and I make the trek North-West through the gawd-awful Everglades. We had breakfast with her (the most amazing bacon omelet, pancakes, and hash browns) and we chatted with her and her mom, went to a souvenir shop (got J's gma some post cards), and got burned on the beach. I got my first significant burn. I was brown on the beach, and then I turned pink in the car. Oooh the itching and simultaneous soreness. It was bad. And I STILL have streaks on my body from where I had lazily slapped SPF. (I retain color for a loooong time.) It was so good to see her. I've missed the Fantastic Five very much and it is hard to go from spending all day, everyday (class, studying, and yes- a little drinking to relieve that student teacher stress) together to being so far apart. These were the people I could "bitch" to no matter what, no matter when and they understood completely what I was going through because they were schlepping through it with me. I wish life wasn't so complicated, and that I had a zillion dollars because I'd fly us all to Hawaii to sip girly drinks (no, make it fishbowls from Wando's) on the beach. :)
So, even though I'm so very far from friends, I'm still striving to keep those connections. And even though I don't do what the average 23 year old does down here it doesn't mean that I'm without good company. I love the two office-mates I have (we had a few headaches, but we're down one, and the headaches are gone!), I have my hubby, and my crafting guru. And soon there will be PUPPY!!! We're picking up Ruby (it's a girl!) on the 2nd. But that's for another post...
(I'll try to be good and make that post this week.)
I have been occupied, though. Busy is the wrong word for my personal life. I'm busy at work. I'm occupied in my personal life. And I'm starting to settle in to the fact that J and I are really LIVING in Miami. For the longest time I felt like I was on an extended (and horrible) summer vacation. There is almost no change in the seasons, and I was unemployed for so long that I had lost a sense of passing time. We've been here for ten full months now. Where has the time gone? And why is there no snow? I miss chilly weather. Not FREEZING weather, just brisk, flurry-flake weather. My sweaters stare at me longingly from my closet. And I could take a break from this humidity. I look simultaneously sweaty and pinched. I'm always rocking this slight sheen of sweat and in order to prevent my hair from doing its "devil-horn curls" I have to pull it back in a really severe bun with a head-ache inducing headband. And there are some people down here who look fresh and pressed. I look wrinkly and disheveled. Fall cannot come soon enough. And the end of hurricane season. I'm terrified of one happening and then having to fight for supplies in a sort of post-apocalyptic sort of way. J and I joke about getting a shot-gun for times like that. But sometimes I'm not joking. Especially on the off-chance that zombies could be real.
I've settled-in in a couple of ways. The most excited and expensive way: I've invested in REAL sunglasses. I was using $12 sunglasses from Target that I had actually purchased down here when we came to look for apartments. I had bought a pair of faux-Ray Bans (Wayfarer Style) because they de-emphasize my rotund head. And a pair of aviators that ACTUALLY looked good on said rotund noggin. Of course the lenses on both are scratched, so they are not very fun to wear anymore. I have a pair of Versace (real, thank you very much)sunglasses that I love that my grandmother found and gave to me. But it just doesn't look right to be wearing tres-chic eye wear and sweaty, wrinkly clothing while trying to tame the frizz. I'm not worthy. :) And they are a little tight on my globe-like head. So, I've been telling J, "It's time to invest in a good pair of Wayfarers." Sunglasses are very prevalent down here, but still expensive. Not fair, supply and demand model! And thus I had been dragging my feet on making a $145 purchase when I have oh so many loan payments that are that price and higher. But whilst browsing one of my favorite fashion websites, they mentioned that TOMS is now doing eye wear in their One-For-One model (like their shoes). Basically when you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, a child in need also gets a pair. And now, with my purchase of $145 I was able to get decent sunglasses in the Wayfarer style, and someone will be able to see more clearly (they meet different needs: surgeries, glasses, and basic ocular health care). So I can now feel good about myself! And feel stylish! Without squinting in the sun. And don't worry- I got a very sturdy case so they won't get scratched. (When the guy at Nordstrom's asked me which designer cleaning cloth I wanted I chose Tom Ford because I think he's handsome... I'm a dork.)
Another way I know I'm settling: I got a library card. I don't know why it took me so long. I'm quite ashamed of myself really, but I've been reading a lot, I assure you. Now I can do it for free. The library system down here is decent. J's gotten me a couple of books from his school's library which is decent as well. I was spoiled with Madison Public Libraries, so I am always hoping for that experience. I have 8 books to read and it reminds me of the good old days when I would bike to the nearby public library and load up my back-pack, devouring the ten books in less than ten days. Yes, I've always read this much. Friends and family can attest to this. If I wasn't so lazy with this blog I'd do a book review blog. So, J and I went the three blocks to our local public library (lucky again, to be so close to a community center) and I stood in queue and proudly received my card. And then I promptly left J reading while I headed for the shelves. As my arms got heavier and heavier with books (some on my reading list, and some new) my spirit got lighter. There are a few places on earth where I feel happy to a point of delirium and giddiness. They are, as follows: libraries, book stores, office supply stores, craft stores, and THE CONTAINER STORE!!! And I found myself smiling as I met old friends on the shelf: Wind in the Willows, Redwall, Wee Free Men, and on and on... One of my friends had asked for book recommendations. Well, here is a list of books I've read since March. I hope some are inspiring:
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
The Ichdiean Universe Trilogy by Sherrilynn Kenyon
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice Through the Looking Class by Lewis Carroll
The Devil's Queen by Jeanne Kalogridis
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley (graphic novel)
Scott Pilgrim Books by Bryan Lee O'Malley (seven graphic novels)
The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
I really liked the Alice books and the graphic novels. The Witch's Daughter was pretty good. Angelology was frustrating because I didn't know it was part of a trilogy that's not done yet (like when I had read A Discovery of Witches-- but I loved that book). Right now I'm working on The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe. Jury's still out.
And I've also added something to my social life: CRAFTING NIGHT! One of the women I work with was trying to figure out how to make me feel less lonely down here. She has a daughter my age, but we've got polar different interests, so she was peppering me with questions of what I like to do. I had been asking her what "kids-my-age" do down here and none of her suggestions were interesting to me. (J and I went out one night and I ordered my usual, vodka cranberry, and we were just chilling until the bill came and my tiny drink cost $11!!!) One day I wore a shirt that I had altered (I sewed cloth flowers to the collar.) And she complimented it. I told her I made it and craft night was born! She'll tell you she's not particularly crafty, but I'd beg to differ. She's great at painting. But the leader of our little rag-tag crafting group is her mom. She is the most amazing crafter I've ever seen. And I've seen some crafters. :) Her whole house looks like a block of the shops in Cedarburg. Her work looks professional. But she doesn't sell it. She just gives it away at the holidays. She's taught me to do a complicated crochet project (I'm not giving out details- they are going to be my Christmas gifts), and she figured out how to use the sewing machine that my mom had given me. Making stuffed animals will be a zillion times faster now. She's a very good teacher, and she's got a lot of crafting experience being 82. So the three of us gather at her house on Wednesdays now. Sometimes we order food, sometimes we pack extra in our lunches, and sometimes others will join us- which is nice. It's nice to have something to look forward to in the middle of a crazy week. Even though I'm not hanging out with people my age, I don't care. I'd rather be listening to this mother-daughter duo chit-chat while I try to do the many crochet stitches. Honestly, I get more out of it then if I were doing jell-o shots at one of the many drinking establishments. (Also, I hate how superficial Miami can be, so one less time to worry about looking sweaty and pinched...)
Luckily, I've been able to see two friends down here. My old, old high school friend has started a new business and he was downtown for a company meeting. I was able to hang out with him while J was home in Wisconsin. It was nice to see him. It felt just like old times, except I felt a little different and a little wiser from my high-school days. It was nice to reconnect and see someone who had been such a big part of those four formative years. And to laugh about how ridiculous those four years were. (Well- he was a grade below me, so three, but still...) And one of my bestie gal pals (part of what I am going to call the Fantastic Five from the college years and doing time in Education) was down in Fort Myers for a family wedding. J and I make the trek North-West through the gawd-awful Everglades. We had breakfast with her (the most amazing bacon omelet, pancakes, and hash browns) and we chatted with her and her mom, went to a souvenir shop (got J's gma some post cards), and got burned on the beach. I got my first significant burn. I was brown on the beach, and then I turned pink in the car. Oooh the itching and simultaneous soreness. It was bad. And I STILL have streaks on my body from where I had lazily slapped SPF. (I retain color for a loooong time.) It was so good to see her. I've missed the Fantastic Five very much and it is hard to go from spending all day, everyday (class, studying, and yes- a little drinking to relieve that student teacher stress) together to being so far apart. These were the people I could "bitch" to no matter what, no matter when and they understood completely what I was going through because they were schlepping through it with me. I wish life wasn't so complicated, and that I had a zillion dollars because I'd fly us all to Hawaii to sip girly drinks (no, make it fishbowls from Wando's) on the beach. :)
So, even though I'm so very far from friends, I'm still striving to keep those connections. And even though I don't do what the average 23 year old does down here it doesn't mean that I'm without good company. I love the two office-mates I have (we had a few headaches, but we're down one, and the headaches are gone!), I have my hubby, and my crafting guru. And soon there will be PUPPY!!! We're picking up Ruby (it's a girl!) on the 2nd. But that's for another post...
(I'll try to be good and make that post this week.)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Melancholy in Miami
May in Miami. Been awhile. Sorry!
We've been here for nine months now. I've taken a hiatus from writing for two reasons: I've been busy and if I didn't have anything nice to say about this place, I wasn't going to say anything at all.
Let's start with how I've been busy. Work had picked up in intensity. Being a secretary seems like an easy-peasy job, but it can be frustrating. Nothing I do is TECHNICALLY difficult, but the atmosphere and pressures tense my neck and back up and give me shooting migraines. I have quickly realized that being the first person who answers phones and being the first person you see when you walk in our offices often means that people feel it is okay to take out the pile of crap that's been making them grouchy to dump it straight on my head. Everyone unloads their problems on me. Some of their problems I can solve, or try to solve... but most are just beyond me. I've been yelled at by "customers" or the friends and family of "customers" and I've been yelled at by my "coworkers." Sometimes, the "customers" deserve the situations they're in and I feel no pity for them. You snooze, you loose. Consider the story of the grasshopper and the ant. It's always the grasshoppers who are calling me after it's too late and they realized they should have done at least a fourth of the work of the little ant. As for my colleagues, I am ASTONISHED at how many grown adults who are into or past middle age think that it is okay to drop swear words on me and accuse me of things I have no control over. But I'm the one who needs to answer the phones or I'm the one they see first when they come in, so they yell at me and calm down for whoever I direct them to after their "bitch-fest."
Now, if you don't know much about me and how I deal with these things... let me tell you. I am polite and friendlier than most of the people I work with. I genuinely care and I'll try my best to better your situation. If you are nice to me, I'll do the job in double-time. If you are rude, I drop the friendly demeanor, but stay polite. Anything and everything I say at work I would say to a supervisor or Human Resources. I DO get firm, however. I do not let anyone walk all over me unless I've done something terribly wrong and it is my fault. I do not bend and break and I since I've moved down here from a fairly friendly state, it's only solidified my personal philosophy when working customer service with a bunch of Rude-y Mc Rudertons. I had one "customer" standing up, screaming at me, so I stood up, and said, "I am here to help you. I'd be happy to help you. But you are not helping yourself right now by making this scene. A positive attitude will get you farther than a negative one, so might a make a personal suggestion? Stay polite, stay positive, and we will be able to listen to your needs." He would not be stopped until he complained to me, two of my office mates, and two "high-profile" colleagues all who told him he was being unreasonable. He took it to the top and we've never heard from him again... I assume because the told saw what type of "customer" he was and how he was more of a grasshopper than an ant. Still, I got the brunt of it. Tensions have been running high between some people at work and I'm caught in the middle because, once-again, I'm literally in the middle of the office. I see and hear almost everything. The situation will be shortly resolved, but still. I cried one day on the way to work and wanted to puke because I didn't want to be near all of the drama. But two or three coworkers have pulled me aside or sent me e-mails to say that they appreciate my genuine smile or that I am doing good work. It is hard not to take things personally. And where I work, there are people with a lot riding on getting things done and getting things done properly. So, everyone's a bit cranky at times.
I was also busy cleaning and preparing for our guests: MY PARENTS AND LITTLE BROTHER! I've missed my family so much. It was very nice to see them. And subsequently, we've seen much more of Southern Florida because of their visit. We took them to the Fairchild Botanical Gardens, the Morikami Japanese Gardens and Museum, Deerfield Beach, Matheson Hammock Park for swimming, Biscayne Bay, we walked Miracle Mile and I saw Bill Murray (!!!), we went to the Food Trucks (new favorite: Goat Cheese and Proscuitto Grilled Cheese from Ms Cheezious), we went to Scotty's on the Water (fish'n'chips), and we drove around gawking at some of the expensive houses on Old Cutler Road. It was so nice to have them here. I wish they could have stayed longer. Or better, I wish they could have taken me home with them. J will get to go home in the near future, leaving me alone here with no friends to speak of. I'm dying to go back to Wisconsin, or at least to take a break from the rude people, bad drivers, and horrible heat... but I'm trying to save up my time off. I guess I could take time off without pay, but that's a little hard to do when you only make so much and have student loans.
I've also struggled with staying in touch with people from home. A couple of my friends will send me the random text or write on my Facebook page and we'll have a brief conversation... but for the most part, if I'm not reaching out to people then no one reaches out to me. It's exhausting to be the one to uphold the friendship. I know everyone is busy with their own lives, and perhaps, because they have friends where they live, they don't feel the need to reconnect with old ones as much. Either way, it stings and frustrates me. I've tried to make friends here, but to no avail. And quite frankly, many of these people and I probably wouldn't get along. There are some people near my age that I am friendly with at work, but that's about it. I figured I would throw myself into my hobbies, but I think people are too busy to preserve their youth (plastic surgery) that they don't have time to preserve memories (scrapbooking). I've been searching for scrapbooking stores in Miami-Dade and I'm going to have to go to Broward I guess. I haven't been to the art stores and quite frankly I'm afraid to go... I loved the art store in Madison on State Street and the Hobby Shop in Greenfield. I want to learn how to use my sewing machine, but the JoAnn's down here don't offer evening classes (or classes in English). And I'm not about to haul that beast around to a store to be rudely told they don't/can't help. I'm losing hope for humanity... I mean customer service down here. :)
At least it is raining today. It keeps down the heat. And I love the sound of it. For now I will keep myself busy with chores, work, and the countless books I read (now that J canceled cable, grr).
We've been here for nine months now. I've taken a hiatus from writing for two reasons: I've been busy and if I didn't have anything nice to say about this place, I wasn't going to say anything at all.
Let's start with how I've been busy. Work had picked up in intensity. Being a secretary seems like an easy-peasy job, but it can be frustrating. Nothing I do is TECHNICALLY difficult, but the atmosphere and pressures tense my neck and back up and give me shooting migraines. I have quickly realized that being the first person who answers phones and being the first person you see when you walk in our offices often means that people feel it is okay to take out the pile of crap that's been making them grouchy to dump it straight on my head. Everyone unloads their problems on me. Some of their problems I can solve, or try to solve... but most are just beyond me. I've been yelled at by "customers" or the friends and family of "customers" and I've been yelled at by my "coworkers." Sometimes, the "customers" deserve the situations they're in and I feel no pity for them. You snooze, you loose. Consider the story of the grasshopper and the ant. It's always the grasshoppers who are calling me after it's too late and they realized they should have done at least a fourth of the work of the little ant. As for my colleagues, I am ASTONISHED at how many grown adults who are into or past middle age think that it is okay to drop swear words on me and accuse me of things I have no control over. But I'm the one who needs to answer the phones or I'm the one they see first when they come in, so they yell at me and calm down for whoever I direct them to after their "bitch-fest."
Now, if you don't know much about me and how I deal with these things... let me tell you. I am polite and friendlier than most of the people I work with. I genuinely care and I'll try my best to better your situation. If you are nice to me, I'll do the job in double-time. If you are rude, I drop the friendly demeanor, but stay polite. Anything and everything I say at work I would say to a supervisor or Human Resources. I DO get firm, however. I do not let anyone walk all over me unless I've done something terribly wrong and it is my fault. I do not bend and break and I since I've moved down here from a fairly friendly state, it's only solidified my personal philosophy when working customer service with a bunch of Rude-y Mc Rudertons. I had one "customer" standing up, screaming at me, so I stood up, and said, "I am here to help you. I'd be happy to help you. But you are not helping yourself right now by making this scene. A positive attitude will get you farther than a negative one, so might a make a personal suggestion? Stay polite, stay positive, and we will be able to listen to your needs." He would not be stopped until he complained to me, two of my office mates, and two "high-profile" colleagues all who told him he was being unreasonable. He took it to the top and we've never heard from him again... I assume because the told saw what type of "customer" he was and how he was more of a grasshopper than an ant. Still, I got the brunt of it. Tensions have been running high between some people at work and I'm caught in the middle because, once-again, I'm literally in the middle of the office. I see and hear almost everything. The situation will be shortly resolved, but still. I cried one day on the way to work and wanted to puke because I didn't want to be near all of the drama. But two or three coworkers have pulled me aside or sent me e-mails to say that they appreciate my genuine smile or that I am doing good work. It is hard not to take things personally. And where I work, there are people with a lot riding on getting things done and getting things done properly. So, everyone's a bit cranky at times.
I was also busy cleaning and preparing for our guests: MY PARENTS AND LITTLE BROTHER! I've missed my family so much. It was very nice to see them. And subsequently, we've seen much more of Southern Florida because of their visit. We took them to the Fairchild Botanical Gardens, the Morikami Japanese Gardens and Museum, Deerfield Beach, Matheson Hammock Park for swimming, Biscayne Bay, we walked Miracle Mile and I saw Bill Murray (!!!), we went to the Food Trucks (new favorite: Goat Cheese and Proscuitto Grilled Cheese from Ms Cheezious), we went to Scotty's on the Water (fish'n'chips), and we drove around gawking at some of the expensive houses on Old Cutler Road. It was so nice to have them here. I wish they could have stayed longer. Or better, I wish they could have taken me home with them. J will get to go home in the near future, leaving me alone here with no friends to speak of. I'm dying to go back to Wisconsin, or at least to take a break from the rude people, bad drivers, and horrible heat... but I'm trying to save up my time off. I guess I could take time off without pay, but that's a little hard to do when you only make so much and have student loans.
I've also struggled with staying in touch with people from home. A couple of my friends will send me the random text or write on my Facebook page and we'll have a brief conversation... but for the most part, if I'm not reaching out to people then no one reaches out to me. It's exhausting to be the one to uphold the friendship. I know everyone is busy with their own lives, and perhaps, because they have friends where they live, they don't feel the need to reconnect with old ones as much. Either way, it stings and frustrates me. I've tried to make friends here, but to no avail. And quite frankly, many of these people and I probably wouldn't get along. There are some people near my age that I am friendly with at work, but that's about it. I figured I would throw myself into my hobbies, but I think people are too busy to preserve their youth (plastic surgery) that they don't have time to preserve memories (scrapbooking). I've been searching for scrapbooking stores in Miami-Dade and I'm going to have to go to Broward I guess. I haven't been to the art stores and quite frankly I'm afraid to go... I loved the art store in Madison on State Street and the Hobby Shop in Greenfield. I want to learn how to use my sewing machine, but the JoAnn's down here don't offer evening classes (or classes in English). And I'm not about to haul that beast around to a store to be rudely told they don't/can't help. I'm losing hope for humanity... I mean customer service down here. :)
At least it is raining today. It keeps down the heat. And I love the sound of it. For now I will keep myself busy with chores, work, and the countless books I read (now that J canceled cable, grr).
Sunday, March 27, 2011
In My Perfect Universe
March in Miami. We had to sleep with the air conditioner on last night. The temperatures have picked up and it is starting to get uncomfortable. Then again, I’m a temperature enigma: I’ll be sweating and whiny about the weather one minute and then shivering cold with goose bumps after 15 minutes in an air conditioned car. However, I’d rather be cold than be hot. Still, I know that dreaded summer is coming. The only reason I REALLY liked summer in Wisconsin was because school was out and there are fireworks on the 4th of July. I’m sure there are a few more reasons, but really, if I could design myself a universe it would be fall for half of the year, winter for two months, spring for three months, and June for 30 days. I could skip my birthday in August and be ageless as well.
In a perfect universe I would also have a ton of energy. And there would be no such thing as caffeine because I wouldn’t need it. I used to be a great sleeper. I’ve always had the dual fortune and misfortune of incredibly vivid dreams. Sometimes it is entertaining to see what my brain cooks up when I’m asleep, but lately these dreams are EXHAUSTING even if they are not nightmares. I’ve always been a tosser and a turner, but ever since I’ve lived with J, I’ve become a light sleeper to boot. The smallest noise will wake me up- this is incredibly inconvenient when you have to sleep with the windows open (another reason I like AC—white noise). I’ve taken to sleeping with ear plugs in. This results in comical just-before-sleep conversations with J, but they do help some. In my perfect universe I’d have a couple of switches in my brain: 1. Stop worrying, 2. Let it go, that dude’s just a jerk, no need to get mad, and 3. No, thanks- I don’t feel like dreaming tonight. Oh, and 4. Sleep immediately.
In my perfect universe the dishes would do themselves. Laundry would be free and do itself too. Spring cleaning would only take an afternoon. And I would tackle my to-do list: each item, every time. I’ve got a painting half-done, staring at me. I currently hate it. I’ve got dust bunnies mocking me from underneath the bed and couches. And I HAD a blog post nagging me in back of my head, but I’m conquering that “to-do” as I type. I shouldn’t be too hard on myself, though. We did get quite a bit accomplished recently. J filed taxes. We finally got decent frames for our wedding photos and they are hung. J started an herb garden that sits neatly on a window-sill. I started following a budget- not that I’m a big spender (and I’ve almost always balanced my checkbook) but it’s good to know where the money is going. Still… I really hate laundry.
My current universe is about to get a little more perfect. There is an impending arrival of several very important individuals. My mom, dad, and lil’ brother are coming to visit and I’ve been counting down the days in my planner. I keep seeing things in Miami thinking, “oh- they’ll like that” and “let’s be sure to drive this route with them.” I’m so excited to see them. It will be nice for them to see what I see and know what I mean when I talk about people, places, and things down here. J is able to go back to Wisconsin in May and I’m terribly jealous. I want to see family and friends. I want to eat cheese curds and frozen custard. I want to spend a week at my parent’s cabin reading books and sitting by a fire. Harrumph. Plus, he’ll be leaving me. All by myself. I am kind of dreading the ten days. I have “people I know” down here. J has some friends we’ve hung out with, but it is not the same as being able to call up all my friends and demand dinner dates, coffee runs, and movie extravaganzas. I enjoy my alone time probably more than most people. I can be a hermit and sometimes get sick of humans really fast, but still, I like my husband on those days and I’ll miss him when he’s in WI. (Eating delicious cheese and burgers and brats and being around friendly people and hearing the Northern accent and driving on relatively safe roads with 80% of the population being competent drivers…)
The new job is going well. I’ll withhold comment until I’ve been there long enough (one of the weeks I worked most people were gone for Spring Break). Some days are more tiring than others- hence the wish for a to-do list that does itself. The job has also allowed us to spend a bit more money and actually GO places. We’ve been to an NHL game (Florida Panthers- Go Cats!) and had a couple of dinner dates. Today we explored a cheaper botanical garden. I’m still partial to deciduous trees, but it was nice. Hot… I won’t be hanging out in a rainforesty place in the summer, but it was interesting. We’ve taken in more scenery… even if it is driving past some of the rich-people houses and gawking at their “humble lodgings.” When we are on lunch we sit by fountains or under trees- nature helps ease my anxieties. I’ve seen more turtles than I can count down here. Our campus has a pond full of them, as did the botanical garden. Anyone who knows me well knows I kind of have a thing for turtles. (Turtles and pandas and orangutans and hummingbirds and okapis and hippos and dogs and pythons [I’ll never pass up an Animal Planet special on them] and tree frogs… etc etc) We also took in the giant moon a couple of days ago. It was HUGE. Very cool. We started walking on the bridge that leads to Biscayne Bay and as we turned a corner there was a giant orange disc sitting in the sky at an angle that made it look like it was on the high point of the bridge ready to roll down at us in a moment. Paired with the Miami skyline at night it was very impressive.
There are some interesting sights in Miami. I’m glad we have funds to explore a bit of them now. I’m enjoying being married. It is just the two of us and we both believe it has been good for building the foundations of a partnership. To quote a movie I recently watched, “Me and you- just us two.” However, in a perfect universe I could teleport myself to my childhood home in seconds to have dinner with my family, see my lil’ brother’s concerts (he’s a trumpeter), nab friends for coffee, and take a break from the Miami heat.
In a perfect universe I would also have a ton of energy. And there would be no such thing as caffeine because I wouldn’t need it. I used to be a great sleeper. I’ve always had the dual fortune and misfortune of incredibly vivid dreams. Sometimes it is entertaining to see what my brain cooks up when I’m asleep, but lately these dreams are EXHAUSTING even if they are not nightmares. I’ve always been a tosser and a turner, but ever since I’ve lived with J, I’ve become a light sleeper to boot. The smallest noise will wake me up- this is incredibly inconvenient when you have to sleep with the windows open (another reason I like AC—white noise). I’ve taken to sleeping with ear plugs in. This results in comical just-before-sleep conversations with J, but they do help some. In my perfect universe I’d have a couple of switches in my brain: 1. Stop worrying, 2. Let it go, that dude’s just a jerk, no need to get mad, and 3. No, thanks- I don’t feel like dreaming tonight. Oh, and 4. Sleep immediately.
In my perfect universe the dishes would do themselves. Laundry would be free and do itself too. Spring cleaning would only take an afternoon. And I would tackle my to-do list: each item, every time. I’ve got a painting half-done, staring at me. I currently hate it. I’ve got dust bunnies mocking me from underneath the bed and couches. And I HAD a blog post nagging me in back of my head, but I’m conquering that “to-do” as I type. I shouldn’t be too hard on myself, though. We did get quite a bit accomplished recently. J filed taxes. We finally got decent frames for our wedding photos and they are hung. J started an herb garden that sits neatly on a window-sill. I started following a budget- not that I’m a big spender (and I’ve almost always balanced my checkbook) but it’s good to know where the money is going. Still… I really hate laundry.
My current universe is about to get a little more perfect. There is an impending arrival of several very important individuals. My mom, dad, and lil’ brother are coming to visit and I’ve been counting down the days in my planner. I keep seeing things in Miami thinking, “oh- they’ll like that” and “let’s be sure to drive this route with them.” I’m so excited to see them. It will be nice for them to see what I see and know what I mean when I talk about people, places, and things down here. J is able to go back to Wisconsin in May and I’m terribly jealous. I want to see family and friends. I want to eat cheese curds and frozen custard. I want to spend a week at my parent’s cabin reading books and sitting by a fire. Harrumph. Plus, he’ll be leaving me. All by myself. I am kind of dreading the ten days. I have “people I know” down here. J has some friends we’ve hung out with, but it is not the same as being able to call up all my friends and demand dinner dates, coffee runs, and movie extravaganzas. I enjoy my alone time probably more than most people. I can be a hermit and sometimes get sick of humans really fast, but still, I like my husband on those days and I’ll miss him when he’s in WI. (Eating delicious cheese and burgers and brats and being around friendly people and hearing the Northern accent and driving on relatively safe roads with 80% of the population being competent drivers…)
The new job is going well. I’ll withhold comment until I’ve been there long enough (one of the weeks I worked most people were gone for Spring Break). Some days are more tiring than others- hence the wish for a to-do list that does itself. The job has also allowed us to spend a bit more money and actually GO places. We’ve been to an NHL game (Florida Panthers- Go Cats!) and had a couple of dinner dates. Today we explored a cheaper botanical garden. I’m still partial to deciduous trees, but it was nice. Hot… I won’t be hanging out in a rainforesty place in the summer, but it was interesting. We’ve taken in more scenery… even if it is driving past some of the rich-people houses and gawking at their “humble lodgings.” When we are on lunch we sit by fountains or under trees- nature helps ease my anxieties. I’ve seen more turtles than I can count down here. Our campus has a pond full of them, as did the botanical garden. Anyone who knows me well knows I kind of have a thing for turtles. (Turtles and pandas and orangutans and hummingbirds and okapis and hippos and dogs and pythons [I’ll never pass up an Animal Planet special on them] and tree frogs… etc etc) We also took in the giant moon a couple of days ago. It was HUGE. Very cool. We started walking on the bridge that leads to Biscayne Bay and as we turned a corner there was a giant orange disc sitting in the sky at an angle that made it look like it was on the high point of the bridge ready to roll down at us in a moment. Paired with the Miami skyline at night it was very impressive.
There are some interesting sights in Miami. I’m glad we have funds to explore a bit of them now. I’m enjoying being married. It is just the two of us and we both believe it has been good for building the foundations of a partnership. To quote a movie I recently watched, “Me and you- just us two.” However, in a perfect universe I could teleport myself to my childhood home in seconds to have dinner with my family, see my lil’ brother’s concerts (he’s a trumpeter), nab friends for coffee, and take a break from the Miami heat.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
First Day Jitters
I’ll admit it- I’ve been bad. I haven’t updated the blog in FOREVER. But let me explain myself. See, the last post I wrote was about the job I had working in retail. And I chalk that experience up to one of the worst months in my life. So why on earth would you want to read anything from grumpy old me? Okay, I forgive myself for being complacent with posting now. You should forgive me too.
But all’s well that ends well! I left that job in retail for a much better one! I am now a secretary! I have always wanted to be a secretary as I like anything to do with organization and customer service. Plus it is at J’s school. So I cut my commute time and cost by a lot. We’ll carpool, and we’ll be able to have lunch together on campus once in awhile. The job is OFFICIALLY full-time. No 37 hours a week here! And while I’m not swimming in piles of cash, the pay is a way better reflection of my abilities and education.
Needless to say, I’ve been in a much better mood since I left that job-that-shall-no-longer-be-named-after-this-sentence 11 days ago. Those 11 days have been almost blissful. I’ve read four books. I’ve watched a movie (Stranger Than Fiction). I scrubbed my porcelain sink and tub clean. I did laundry. J and I swept and mopped the floors. I’ve been able to keep dishes out of the sink. I’ve actually MADE dinners instead of just assembled random foods to munch on. And I’ve not had to worry about driving to work or being under appreciated.
The last night of work I had was rough (okay- I mentioned it one more time) and it was made even worse by the fact that I was coming home at 11 PM (I said it was ROUGH) to grab my stuff and leave the apartment for 48 hours which actually turned into three nights and four days. Our landlords told us that the apartment was going to be fumigated for termites. J and I were in a tizzy- we had never had a home fumigated before. The chemicals they use are odorless and colorless and LETHAL if you come in before they air the place out. Your home is covered by a circus-like tent and everything that can be consumed must be either taken with you or stored in these bags that rip really easily. Pillows needed to be placed in bags and I took the extra precaution of taking almost everything off of horizontal surfaces. We were lucky enough to be able to stay with one of J’s classmates. There is no way we could have afforded a hotel for that long with two cats. (Speaking of, they hated us for days for disturbing their peace and moving them…)
The time at J’s friend’s apartment was actually pretty good. It was nice to talk to someone normal. We had dinners together, went grocery shopping at Whole Foods, she introduced us to a U-Pick Farm with the BEST strawberries, tomatoes, and peppers, and J helped her start an herb garden. I was anxious to get back home though to clean and re-organize my life. All of the plants that were around the apartment building turned black and withered away. A poor little lizard was a victim of the gassing and limply hung from the laundry door. I was grossed out, but luckily our neighbor removed his corpse so when I did my laundry I didn’t have to work around it… Ugh.
J and I got back into the swing of things now that we had a normal schedule again. We tried two recipes in addition to our usual menu. One was stuffed green peppers (stuffed with hot peppers quickly pickled in Red Wine Vinegar) topped with bacon. It was pretty good, but cutting the peppers set my hands on fire, so I was mostly angry eating them with the fork barely in my hands. The second recipe we made tonight and it was a big success: English Onion Soup. It’s like a blonde French Onion Soup. We used onions from the U-Pick Farm and chicken stock that we had made from a previous meal. We made our own croutons by broiling them in the oven, some we covered with a sharp Irish Cheddar cheese. I’m getting hungry for it again just writing about it.
The only sad news is that getting a puppy is set back by a couple more months. My car decided to take a turn for the worse. After $500 of preliminary repairs that we hoped would solve the problem, I noticed the car was misfiring after I started it on a chillier morning. Turns out three of our four fuel injectors were cracked and one was almost completely black. That was $1000. Well, at least my car runs much better now and I get even better gas mileage. But .:poof:. there went the money for a puppy. I’m glad we were able to cover the cost of the car. We’ll just have to keep saving those pennies…
I’m sorry the posts have been few and far between. Now that I’m on a regular schedule I won’t be so exhausted. Wish me luck for my new job tomorrow! It feels like the first day of school. I’m excited!
But all’s well that ends well! I left that job in retail for a much better one! I am now a secretary! I have always wanted to be a secretary as I like anything to do with organization and customer service. Plus it is at J’s school. So I cut my commute time and cost by a lot. We’ll carpool, and we’ll be able to have lunch together on campus once in awhile. The job is OFFICIALLY full-time. No 37 hours a week here! And while I’m not swimming in piles of cash, the pay is a way better reflection of my abilities and education.
Needless to say, I’ve been in a much better mood since I left that job-that-shall-no-longer-be-named-after-this-sentence 11 days ago. Those 11 days have been almost blissful. I’ve read four books. I’ve watched a movie (Stranger Than Fiction). I scrubbed my porcelain sink and tub clean. I did laundry. J and I swept and mopped the floors. I’ve been able to keep dishes out of the sink. I’ve actually MADE dinners instead of just assembled random foods to munch on. And I’ve not had to worry about driving to work or being under appreciated.
The last night of work I had was rough (okay- I mentioned it one more time) and it was made even worse by the fact that I was coming home at 11 PM (I said it was ROUGH) to grab my stuff and leave the apartment for 48 hours which actually turned into three nights and four days. Our landlords told us that the apartment was going to be fumigated for termites. J and I were in a tizzy- we had never had a home fumigated before. The chemicals they use are odorless and colorless and LETHAL if you come in before they air the place out. Your home is covered by a circus-like tent and everything that can be consumed must be either taken with you or stored in these bags that rip really easily. Pillows needed to be placed in bags and I took the extra precaution of taking almost everything off of horizontal surfaces. We were lucky enough to be able to stay with one of J’s classmates. There is no way we could have afforded a hotel for that long with two cats. (Speaking of, they hated us for days for disturbing their peace and moving them…)
The time at J’s friend’s apartment was actually pretty good. It was nice to talk to someone normal. We had dinners together, went grocery shopping at Whole Foods, she introduced us to a U-Pick Farm with the BEST strawberries, tomatoes, and peppers, and J helped her start an herb garden. I was anxious to get back home though to clean and re-organize my life. All of the plants that were around the apartment building turned black and withered away. A poor little lizard was a victim of the gassing and limply hung from the laundry door. I was grossed out, but luckily our neighbor removed his corpse so when I did my laundry I didn’t have to work around it… Ugh.
J and I got back into the swing of things now that we had a normal schedule again. We tried two recipes in addition to our usual menu. One was stuffed green peppers (stuffed with hot peppers quickly pickled in Red Wine Vinegar) topped with bacon. It was pretty good, but cutting the peppers set my hands on fire, so I was mostly angry eating them with the fork barely in my hands. The second recipe we made tonight and it was a big success: English Onion Soup. It’s like a blonde French Onion Soup. We used onions from the U-Pick Farm and chicken stock that we had made from a previous meal. We made our own croutons by broiling them in the oven, some we covered with a sharp Irish Cheddar cheese. I’m getting hungry for it again just writing about it.
The only sad news is that getting a puppy is set back by a couple more months. My car decided to take a turn for the worse. After $500 of preliminary repairs that we hoped would solve the problem, I noticed the car was misfiring after I started it on a chillier morning. Turns out three of our four fuel injectors were cracked and one was almost completely black. That was $1000. Well, at least my car runs much better now and I get even better gas mileage. But .:poof:. there went the money for a puppy. I’m glad we were able to cover the cost of the car. We’ll just have to keep saving those pennies…
I’m sorry the posts have been few and far between. Now that I’m on a regular schedule I won’t be so exhausted. Wish me luck for my new job tomorrow! It feels like the first day of school. I’m excited!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
First of February
Even though I had been down here unemployed since late August, the time has still flown by. As a child, it crawls like a snail. As a teenager in high school, due dates start whizzing towards you, but you still find yourself bored at times. In college, there is no such thing as bored: there are papers, exams, projects, parties, etc., etc., to fill up your time. And it just keeps going faster and faster.
Often I don’t really know what to say when I want to update my blog. I was unemployed and keeping myself fairly busy with job applications (some more intense than others), running a home, and filling my other time with devouring as much literature, television, and movies as I could handle. Of course I continued cooking, but how many times do you want to read that a meal turned out “okay” or that I burned something once again. (There was the horrible incident where I attempted Fried Mars Bars a la Fair Food, but I redeemed that with a moderately successful batch of turtle candy.)
I had a HUGE let-down for one job application. The process was over a month long and it entailed prep-work, a phone interview, studying a GRE math book, and a standardized test only to not be asked for the in-person interview. I was so upset I decided to cheer myself up by going on an online shopping spree: new socks and a couple of bandanas. Oooh, big spender, I know. I was contacted by a retail company I had applied for in September. They wanted to know if I was interested in a part-time job in Fort Lauderdale. Sorry- needed full-time. They asked me to still interview. They offered me the job with “full-time” hours (32-37/week) and benefits after three months. I felt like I was obligated. They had gone through the work to get the full-time hours and benefits approved. They met my wage request. I felt like I had been unemployed so long that I HAD to take it.
Well, I am working that job now and I learned my lesson: follow your instincts. I listen to my gut 9 times out of 10. The drive is killing me. I often work from 1:00 to 9:00 which means I leave my home at 11:45 am to fight traffic to get to the highway, get on the highway, pay the toll, fight the traffic to get to the express lane, pay more money for using an express lane, and get to work around 12:50 pm. Then the store closes at 9:00, on a good day closing procedures take 30 minutes, I get on the highway by 9:45 and get home around 10:30-45 after fighting more traffic and paying more tolls. There’s never really a lull in driving. Drivers are especially aggressive and careless here so I have to be at 100% when driving to make sure to avoid accidents and missing my turns. That’s just the drive. My car is pretty fuel efficient, but it still costs $10 a day to drive 75 miles roundtrip. And then there is the work. Retail, food service, and customer service jobs are hard. Plus the aesthetic of the store isn’t minimal like other stores (it’s crowded and cluttered) so we are constantly picking up after shoppers. The shoppers themselves are okay. But the pace is constant. The store just got a new manager and me (the assistant manager) and you can tell that no one has really been properly trained- including myself. Which means customers have to wait while we make calls to the manager to double check that we are doing things right. There are other things that I will not go into, but all of this combined with the fact that the work isn’t exactly rewarding and that I have 2 majors from a Big Ten school with a good GPA means that it is simply not a good fit- personally or financially.
Since I started the position on January 26th (not counting the two times I had to drive 75 miles to complete basic paperwork) I have been scheduled 8 days in a row. My days are long because of the commute and the hours are less than desirable. I had dinner with J for the first time in a week (he had massive school work) last night. I’m also going to spend between 16 and 20 hours of my life (depending on how traffic is that day) in the car. That is almost 1 full day out of the week dedicated to driving. So, needless to say, I’ve been busy. If I’m not driving to or from work, I’m working, or just getting home and going directly to bed. I managed to get some time this morning to write a blog post. (It means dishes will sit in the sink for the 4th day in a row.) So- sorry for not posting more- to the few folks who read this.
The one good thing about working in Ft. Lauderdale is that the cruise ships bring a lot of people in- people from the UK, from France, from Australia, and Canada. Canada is close enough to Wisconsin, eh? Feels like I’m talking to someone from home. (And if another person says that I say “baaaag” funny when I ask them if they want their receipt in the bag, I’m just going to put that “baaaag” over my head and walk out without a second glance back.)
Often I don’t really know what to say when I want to update my blog. I was unemployed and keeping myself fairly busy with job applications (some more intense than others), running a home, and filling my other time with devouring as much literature, television, and movies as I could handle. Of course I continued cooking, but how many times do you want to read that a meal turned out “okay” or that I burned something once again. (There was the horrible incident where I attempted Fried Mars Bars a la Fair Food, but I redeemed that with a moderately successful batch of turtle candy.)
I had a HUGE let-down for one job application. The process was over a month long and it entailed prep-work, a phone interview, studying a GRE math book, and a standardized test only to not be asked for the in-person interview. I was so upset I decided to cheer myself up by going on an online shopping spree: new socks and a couple of bandanas. Oooh, big spender, I know. I was contacted by a retail company I had applied for in September. They wanted to know if I was interested in a part-time job in Fort Lauderdale. Sorry- needed full-time. They asked me to still interview. They offered me the job with “full-time” hours (32-37/week) and benefits after three months. I felt like I was obligated. They had gone through the work to get the full-time hours and benefits approved. They met my wage request. I felt like I had been unemployed so long that I HAD to take it.
Well, I am working that job now and I learned my lesson: follow your instincts. I listen to my gut 9 times out of 10. The drive is killing me. I often work from 1:00 to 9:00 which means I leave my home at 11:45 am to fight traffic to get to the highway, get on the highway, pay the toll, fight the traffic to get to the express lane, pay more money for using an express lane, and get to work around 12:50 pm. Then the store closes at 9:00, on a good day closing procedures take 30 minutes, I get on the highway by 9:45 and get home around 10:30-45 after fighting more traffic and paying more tolls. There’s never really a lull in driving. Drivers are especially aggressive and careless here so I have to be at 100% when driving to make sure to avoid accidents and missing my turns. That’s just the drive. My car is pretty fuel efficient, but it still costs $10 a day to drive 75 miles roundtrip. And then there is the work. Retail, food service, and customer service jobs are hard. Plus the aesthetic of the store isn’t minimal like other stores (it’s crowded and cluttered) so we are constantly picking up after shoppers. The shoppers themselves are okay. But the pace is constant. The store just got a new manager and me (the assistant manager) and you can tell that no one has really been properly trained- including myself. Which means customers have to wait while we make calls to the manager to double check that we are doing things right. There are other things that I will not go into, but all of this combined with the fact that the work isn’t exactly rewarding and that I have 2 majors from a Big Ten school with a good GPA means that it is simply not a good fit- personally or financially.
Since I started the position on January 26th (not counting the two times I had to drive 75 miles to complete basic paperwork) I have been scheduled 8 days in a row. My days are long because of the commute and the hours are less than desirable. I had dinner with J for the first time in a week (he had massive school work) last night. I’m also going to spend between 16 and 20 hours of my life (depending on how traffic is that day) in the car. That is almost 1 full day out of the week dedicated to driving. So, needless to say, I’ve been busy. If I’m not driving to or from work, I’m working, or just getting home and going directly to bed. I managed to get some time this morning to write a blog post. (It means dishes will sit in the sink for the 4th day in a row.) So- sorry for not posting more- to the few folks who read this.
The one good thing about working in Ft. Lauderdale is that the cruise ships bring a lot of people in- people from the UK, from France, from Australia, and Canada. Canada is close enough to Wisconsin, eh? Feels like I’m talking to someone from home. (And if another person says that I say “baaaag” funny when I ask them if they want their receipt in the bag, I’m just going to put that “baaaag” over my head and walk out without a second glance back.)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
To Wisconsin and Back Again
We went home for the holidays. It was so nice to be back in Wisconsin. I felt like I needed to make the most of each moment. I tried to see as many people as possible given the short amount of time I had and the other obligations I needed to fulfill. I spent as much time as possible with my family in the evenings. I went to Madison for less than seven hours. I drove to Lake Geneva and Johnson Creek to meet up with friends. I got my teeth cleaned (no cavities-yes!). I met with an Art Therapist to talk about the profession. I read a book. I got 5 inches cut off of my hair. I made it to the Comet Café for beer, bacon, and a good burger. I didn’t get custard… but there will always be other trips. I only got to see a fraction of the people I wanted to. When I left it felt like it was way too soon. And then I promptly got a major migraine when I landed in Florida. J chalks it up to the change in atmospheric pressure, but I think it is because my body was angry at having to come back. We came home to a ton of cat puke and hairballs. Our older cat wouldn’t stop yelling at us, and the next day we found our first (and hopefully last) cockroach. J felt it brushing his foot while doing the dishes and he thought it was a cat. And then he screamed. Ha ha.
J has thrown himself back into training for the upcoming half and full marathons and in his proposal for school work. I am exhausted… all of that running around in Wisconsin tired me out. I’ve just been cleaning and reading and cooking. I’ve also gone back to having unemployment weigh heavily on my mind. I find myself really wishing for a network in Miami right now… maybe then I would have a job and a bit of a social life. We are going to try to have J’s colleagues over for an American dinner as a thank you for the Chinese one we had with them a few weeks ago. I’m not that lonely though… just bored. I like to be alone. I spent my New Year’s Day by myself eating some of my favorite stuff at Panera while writing and reflecting on the past year (an exercise suggested by the magazine Whole Living). I window shopped at the nearby outdoor mall. I really enjoy days like that to myself, but I liked it more in Madison where you didn’t have to pay $6 in parking to eat and wander around and where I also knew my favorite spots. At least the weather is nice here. I went from a winter coat in Wisconsin to shorts here. (I still prefer having seasons and being able to actually wear my cute sweaters…)
That’s pretty much it for now. I figured I should write a little about the past couple of weeks. For now I’m going to watch a movie from Netflix…
J has thrown himself back into training for the upcoming half and full marathons and in his proposal for school work. I am exhausted… all of that running around in Wisconsin tired me out. I’ve just been cleaning and reading and cooking. I’ve also gone back to having unemployment weigh heavily on my mind. I find myself really wishing for a network in Miami right now… maybe then I would have a job and a bit of a social life. We are going to try to have J’s colleagues over for an American dinner as a thank you for the Chinese one we had with them a few weeks ago. I’m not that lonely though… just bored. I like to be alone. I spent my New Year’s Day by myself eating some of my favorite stuff at Panera while writing and reflecting on the past year (an exercise suggested by the magazine Whole Living). I window shopped at the nearby outdoor mall. I really enjoy days like that to myself, but I liked it more in Madison where you didn’t have to pay $6 in parking to eat and wander around and where I also knew my favorite spots. At least the weather is nice here. I went from a winter coat in Wisconsin to shorts here. (I still prefer having seasons and being able to actually wear my cute sweaters…)
That’s pretty much it for now. I figured I should write a little about the past couple of weeks. For now I’m going to watch a movie from Netflix…
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