Looking for Jobs

I'm not nervous. I mean, I certainly come across a lot of things I am not qualified for, but I come across a lot that I am qualified for. The prospects look promising.

KC is a great city to want to be in if you're looking for a job as a Technical Writer/Documentation Specialist, too. A lot of other cities don't have half as many options. I'm even seeing some positions seeking people with English degrees. Woohoo!

So far, a lot of the jobs are temporary and contract. That's one of the downfalls of looking in the tech writing field. However, I am a smart, efficient, detail-oriented professional. I know from past experience that people will be impressed with my work ethic and quality of work, so even if I move 13 hours away for a contract job, I may end up with a permanent job by the end or at least some productive experience to add to my resume.

It will probably be very competative, but the job I'm the most excited about is with H&R Block. They need someone to produce training documentation and to run trainings. That is my favorite part of my current job, and I think it's something that could be a lot of fun. Being in training is like being central to making an organization a well-oiled machine, and I think proper training and support materials can make a big difference in helping other employees to be happy with what they're doing. Frustration can ruin a workplace, and as a training documenter-editor-provider, I could really help alleviate some workplace frustration.

I dunno--we'll see if I actually have a job in a month-and-a-half when I'm done here, but I really do have a positive outlook. Any other outlook is a waste of time. If anything, seeing Big Cartel hire someone else when I really wanted that job was sad, but when I looked at the website of the person they did hire, I knew why. Her talent was immediately apparent in the web presence she had, and while I know I could have done a very good job, she was clearly going to be absolutely amazing.

If I don't get a job, it's because someone of oustanding caliber did. The only way to respond to that kind of rejection is to seek to be more awesome. Every time I am rejected, I will not whine about the system. Instead, I will review what I have and improve. Then I will try again.

Time to go to work. This evening, the application process begins.

When is there time?

It doesn't matter what someone suggests I do, I think the best response is "when is there time?"

I work, I tutor, I crochet. Life isn't bad, but then the last two weekends I have been forced to drive at least 5 hours away, taking Friday's off, and I'm behind on everything.

I need to do laundry. I need to work out. I need to make more progress on my crochet projects. I need to catch up on sleep. I need to make up work hours. I need to apply for jobs. I need to create a website.  I need to cook. I need to clean.

When is there time? I don't want to do any of it. I want to magically have a job, a cute apartment, a fitness routine, and energy to cook. At least, I am excited about the job potentials I am finding. I am just sad that applying is cutting into my crochet time.

Just so you know, I am not traveling again unless it's for an interview. I'm staying home with my silly cat to relax when I can.

Cynicism on the Rise

Chris and I were chit-chatting about perspective, especially in relation to positivity.

He shared the following quote with me, I think it might be George Saunders: "So I got a little place of my own and moved her in with me. Now we're pals. Family. It's not perfect. Sometimes it's damn hard. But I look after her and she squeals with delight when I come home, and the sum total of sadness in the world is less than it would have been."

Chris said of this, "I like that last part...it's been said before, but it's nice to be reminded that that's even possible."

For some odd reason, me being the weirdo that I am, I thought of this song from Dr. Horrible:



Yep. This captures two opposing perspectives, and it's fun.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

I finished Angel. Kind of glad it's over. The end was a bit of a let-down.

Now I'm on to much better things: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Oh Netflix instant stream, you do offer everything I could want.

Here's a peek, courtesy of YouTube...



Slipping, especially the early portion, is one of my favorites.

A Place Called Home

So in my watching of Angel, I discovered the following song, which I thought was amazing. I will be downloading it via iTunes shortly. It's Kim Richey's "A Place Called Home."

It's the sort of song that just suits me right now in such a way that I can listen to it over and over again and just relax.

What's even better is I found it with Merlin footage, and since Merlin may be my current favorite show, it is the perfect mix.



Hope you enjoyed.

Lined Hats...Crochet Happiness

So here are my first two completed hats. They both are lined with black fleece. Lining hats is hard, but I think it is worth it. I need to work on my measuring of lining though since the lining doesn't have the elasticity of the yarn.

 

Extra Wiggle Room

If you haven't checked out Nancy Upton's blog, you should: http://extrawiggleroom.tumblr.com/. She's a gorgeous full-figured woman that's at war with the fashion industry--in the funniest and sexiest way possible.

She's put together a parody fashion shoot that is funny and artistically gorgeous.

I followed some of the links to other sites to see what people are saying about her, and there are mixed reviews. One fashion site she links to is absolutely crude, calling Nancy disgusting, saying she needs to lose weight, and berating heavy women for eating too much.

I kind of want to punch those people in the face. More importantly, I want to compare the impact of her fashion shoot on me versus the kind of things I see in most ads.

I'm 5'7" and have the following dimensions: 34" bust, 28" waist, 38" hips. I'm not the supposed ideal skinniness, but I'm sort of on the skinny side of curvy. I look at the fashion shoot with the gorgeous Nancy Upton, and it's an entirely positive experience.

1. I feel better about my own weight, and not in a "she's fat and I'm not" kind of way, but in a she's beautiful, so I must be too way.
2. Looking at her wearing clothes makes me feel like I could pull them off. I would go shopping and perhaps even wear makeup (which I am usually too lazy to do) after looking at Nancy's shoot. When I see an ad with the usual wraiths, I think, "I'm not sure that would look good on me." Nancy Upton is already making me feel good about myself.
3. In other words, Nancy motivates me towards the kind of materialism that good marketing would hope to encourage in me. The wraiths don't work that well.

So kudos to Nancy. She rocks and has become a hero of mine.