grass clippings

i know, i know. its been a really long time. well my response to that is that i have been tired for a really long time. after working in the retail world for about two months now, i have learned a few things. one: the turnover rate is unbelievable!! i think there have been at least 10 people that have left or been let go since i have been there. that is just crazy. two: the pay stinks. nuff said. three: i enjoy working in the back room. a lot of people complain about work, but i have found that i genuinly enjoy it. i get lots of exercise, i like being a person who "knows" whats going on in the place, and hey i get to leave work by 1:30 in the pm. (granted i start at 6 am) as i sit here and write about how i like my job, i must also admit that i am looking to get a new job as well. i have gone through the interview process at huntington (my other job) to take a position of assistant director for one of the centers. i think all the interviews went well, but i really don't know. i am in the waiting game right now. getting that position would be a lot of work, but it would allow me to pay the bills with a little more ease. i guess that is all i have. i haven't been on any big alaskan vacations lately so i can't comment on that. oh wait, i have never been on a big alaskan vacation anyway. ummm, i mowed the lawn today, that is always exciting. i get to go fishing next weekend so that is going to be fun. a bunch of guys sitting on a boat, catching fish, drinking a beverage of choice, getting sunburned. how great is that!! okay well i will end this dribble now. later

an array of interesting pictures with a little commentary

we got lots of snow in a weeks time at the end of february. the bummer is that once again i had snow blower issues and had to shovel. bleah.

maya's first big snowman!!

practice makes perfect.

the kitchen that maya got for her b-day. apparently you can cook eggs in the dish storage area!

job progress

it has been a long and sometimes painful job search, but it is over for now. i was offered and accepted a position at ------- today. it isn't the highest paying job, but i did push them for more pay and they gave me an extra .75 per hour. i think i am going to get about 30 hrs a week there so combine that with huntington i should be right around 40 hrs. (at least i hope so) i will be working in the shipping and receiving for part of the day and then moving to the furniture department to finish my shift. the only real bummer is that it starts at 6 am. so i am off to experience my first retail job. who knows maybe they will really like me and what to promote me to a manager spot. best of all i get an employee discount now!! i bet it works at -------- too!!

job update

well, the job search hasn't been all that much fun but i am making progress. i have an interview on monday with huntington learning center. it is a tutoring establishment. it would only be part time, but i don't know what part time means. i could end up working 30 hrs a week, who knows. at least it is a start and i am still doing something in the world of teaching, which is where i feel most confident.

almost done

well i have two days left of my current job. i don't really have any feelings one way or the other about this job being done. the only thing that is a bummer is that i have to find a new job. there are plenty of jobs out there, so i simply need to make up my mind and decide what to do. i do know that i am going to go back to school either this summer or this fall (or both). if i want be able to teach the subject area that interests me the most then i need to change my teaching license. it shouldn't be too hard.
on friday the office is buying lunch for everyone in my honor. its nice of them but at the same i am being kicked out on friday. i have a few things that i though would be nice if i could wrap them up, but i was told to leave it for someone else. oh well, not my problem i guess. it kinda makes me lose any motivation to work hard these last few days. i mean come on, what are they gunna do, fire me.

new toy!!

there aren't a whole lot of things that i purchase that get me really excited. once in a while this does happen, as it did this week. using xmas money that i got this year i researched and decided to purchase a fish finder. i was able to find a handheld portable fish finder, made by norcross, that fit within my budget. i know it isn't as fancy as a hummingbird or eagle brand, but i think it will do the job for me. a nice feature is the fact that the transducer comes with a float so you can use it anywhere!! if you don't have a boat no problem. i am so excited to try out my new gadget that i am willing to go ice fishing. that is huge.

a rant on interviews

i have decided that with today's technology the current practice of applying for jobs and interviewing for jobs sucks. it has been my experience in applying for jobs that you have to apply for jobs on the internet. this if fine and dandy and doesn't consume too much time, but it is flawed. the problem is that once you click the magical button that says apply there is nothing more you can do. websites will even put a disclaimer on their website that states you are not to contact them. how in the world are you supposed to even know if they read your application!!! kinda annoying if you ask me. as for interviews, this is even more frustrating. how often do you have an interview (think it was a good one) and then never hear anything back. granted a "thanks but no thanks" letter will eventually come in the mail, but sometimes you don't even get that. for example, i interviewed for a job a year and a half ago and thought i did pretty good. i didn't get hired. no big deal, there could have been any number of reasons for it. okay, so a week ago i applied with the same company again (its been 1.5 yrs later) and thought i had a good shot at it since i have a friend working there and i applied three days after the position was posted. i come to find out that i will not even be considered for the position because i didn't pass the phone interview a year and a half ago! talk about being pissed off. i could have spared myself the time and energy with even applying. if it wasn't for my friend on the inside who looked into my ap., i would have never known that i failed the phone interview. i could have been applying for months to come and doing it all in vain! so now that i know this i will never waste my time with them again. too bad i currently use this company or i would write them off completely. (no ruhama it isn't walmart) i better quit writing before i get my blood pressure too high.

until next time - the FRUSTRATED gardener