This has been a busy week with going to a job fare, trying to complete my classwork, and planning for a BBQ on Sunday for people that I used to work with. It hasn't been easy to get any of it done while still trying to potty train Alex, and having to facilitate Dante's self directed punishment for easing half of a bag of chocolate chips in the mornings (definitely without permission, and certainly while trying to be sneaky).
Aaron and I went to the Fox news job fare at the Crown Plaza in Warwick. There were about 3000 people who showed up for the job fare and only about 70 companies represented there. If you eliminate the military booths, colleges, and temp agencies there, it cuts the numbers down to about 40 actual companies. Then cut out Avon, Autocrat Coffee, Foxwoods, and Twin River Casino and I had even fewer decent looking companies to hand out a resume to. I turned in my resume to Bank Newport, Child & Family, and The Children's Workshop, took a card from Macy's and a "get started" pack from Avon. I'm hoping to get in with the Children's Workshop or Child & Family because these jobs are in my career field and (as my friend Sam told me) I can get my entry position work out of the way while I'm in school, allowing me to be positioned to slide right into a good job after graduation. However, I went into my branch yesterday and my old teller supervisor asked me if I'd consider coming back to work in the branch as they have a teller leaving and there will be an open rec. I told her I'd certainly be interested, and now I'm praying on it to see if it's the right thing to do. On paper it looks good because it's work, it's a job and a position that I already know with people who I've already worked with, and I know more now than I did before I left it. On the other side, it's bad because tellers start at a grade level 3, and I am a grade level 7...I don't know if I could come in as the head teller which would at least be a grade level 5. If they can't get that approved, I'll be taking a 6.00 per hour pay cut (which unemployment should make up the difference on for at least a year) but the job is less demanding and easier than the one I was offered in the call center and I can keep my seniority. Anyway, it's something to think about.
School work has been a bit tough this week. the reading was really dry and I'm not sure how many more 40 page chapters I can read this year. Chapter 2 was all about research but it was mostly about all the little definitions of parts of a study and the different types of research, issues researchers have to deal with, and so on. It didn't even get interesting until the last two pages and I just thought I was going to scream. But I took notes by hand, then typed them up, and highlighted parts as I read so that helped me to really understand some of the more confusing parts of the chapter. I really put my blessing to the test this week. I managed to finish the work for my writing class yesterday and I used what I learned to help write out my Sharing Time lesson for tomorrow (that was a bonus!). I only have my project to write and I'll be doing that later today and then taking tomorrow off to party with my friends at the BBQ and then I'll start reading Chapter 3 on Monday.
Sunday I'm having people come over after I get out of church to have a little party since our department was eliminated. We thought that we wouldn't be getting laid off until yesterday so we chose tomorrow for the party, but we got laid off last week instead. I have to go out to the Sam's Club in Warwick to get hot dogs because the one near me is under construction and decided that Memorial Day weekend would be a good time to close down for a while. We're doing this Pot Luck style so others are bringing chips, soda, cake and stuff. Hopefully everyone shows up who said they are coming or we'll be missing stuff. I tried to confirm with the people who no longer work for the bank, and my friend Eric is touching base with the ones who stayed. I have a few packages of hamburger meat and I just need to get the dogs, and the buns. Now I just have to check the weather to see if we can be outside...
Well, Alex is done with lunch, Kung-Fo Panda is done, and I need to get him down for a nap and work on my Psychology project.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Zoo
Today started with my going to do a load of laundry and almost ended with my being taken out of the laundro-mat by ambulance when I was the cost to wash a load of laundry! It's up to 2.50 just to wash now! How do people even afford clean clothes. It makes me consider going down to the ocean and washing my clothes on a washboard with lye soap like they did all those years ago...it might even be worth all the trouble for all the money I won't have to pay to those no good laundry crooks, lol.
After I collected myself from the initial sticker shock on the washers, I got some studying done today and then caught up with my friend Kristen and took the boys to the Roger Williams Park Zoo for the afternoon. Alex was more concerned with looking at the water, and throwing his apple into the water, than he was with the actual animals. Dante spent the time on wagon patrol, reading every plaque at every exhibit, and telling us that we were "going the wrong way" as if we actually had some sort of agenda. We were being led around by Alex who seemed to set the pace of where we went and how quickly we got there as he was the only one who seemed to care, and with all that going on we really didn't have anywhere to be, thus we were certainly not going "the wrong way". Alex ignored the elephants playing ball and making elephant noises, the crane, the red panda (even when I tried to tell him that it was Master Shefoo from Kung-Fo Panda, the show leopard (he only wanted the leopard's ball), the moon bears, giraffes, various birds and fish, and the bald eagles (he did manage to drop his apple into the stream near their enclosure), and he finally noticed the harbor seals. We stayed until we were kicked out be security...apparently the zoo had closed and no one bothered to announce it so we had no idea. We were the very last people out and probably had been in there a good 30 minutes after closing. We also lost Alex's binky in the zoo.
After getting home, I whipped together a leftover free-for-all for dinner and we all had something different. Alex watched half of Madagascar and then went to bed with no binky, and no fuss. I think he was tired out from walking the zoo. We didn't see any monkeys at the zoo, but I worked on my Monkey's when I got home. I've turned the heel and have a good start on the foot. I need to fit this in with planning Sharing Time, reading my class assignments, two projects for school, and reading I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954). I'll let you know how I make out.
After I collected myself from the initial sticker shock on the washers, I got some studying done today and then caught up with my friend Kristen and took the boys to the Roger Williams Park Zoo for the afternoon. Alex was more concerned with looking at the water, and throwing his apple into the water, than he was with the actual animals. Dante spent the time on wagon patrol, reading every plaque at every exhibit, and telling us that we were "going the wrong way" as if we actually had some sort of agenda. We were being led around by Alex who seemed to set the pace of where we went and how quickly we got there as he was the only one who seemed to care, and with all that going on we really didn't have anywhere to be, thus we were certainly not going "the wrong way". Alex ignored the elephants playing ball and making elephant noises, the crane, the red panda (even when I tried to tell him that it was Master Shefoo from Kung-Fo Panda, the show leopard (he only wanted the leopard's ball), the moon bears, giraffes, various birds and fish, and the bald eagles (he did manage to drop his apple into the stream near their enclosure), and he finally noticed the harbor seals. We stayed until we were kicked out be security...apparently the zoo had closed and no one bothered to announce it so we had no idea. We were the very last people out and probably had been in there a good 30 minutes after closing. We also lost Alex's binky in the zoo.
After getting home, I whipped together a leftover free-for-all for dinner and we all had something different. Alex watched half of Madagascar and then went to bed with no binky, and no fuss. I think he was tired out from walking the zoo. We didn't see any monkeys at the zoo, but I worked on my Monkey's when I got home. I've turned the heel and have a good start on the foot. I need to fit this in with planning Sharing Time, reading my class assignments, two projects for school, and reading I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954). I'll let you know how I make out.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hello from the land of the Lay-off
Thursday, 5/14 turned out to be the day that they finally laid us off. We came in at 8:30am and were out of there with our severance packages in hand by 10:30am. We all went over to Chili's and had drinks (or in my case a virgin pina colada and a giant chocolate desert), and some appetizers, and talked badly about our former employer, lol. Then I went to my MIL's house and hung out till I felt like going home.
I've decided to spend some time at home just doing nothing, but that's been harder than I thought. I keep thinking that I'm supposed to be somewhere, or that I should start looking for another job, and then I have to tell myself that I'm not doing ANYTHING work related for at least two weeks. I've been working for eight straight years with out a real vacation, and last year I only took a week off. I think it's time for me to take some time off.
On the home front, I've been working on potty training, and Alex is really into flushing the toilet. I took him up to the doctor's office today because he used the potty about nine times in thirty minutes and just peed a little bit each time. I thought there might be something wrong, but the doctor said that it's more likely that he's not letting his bladder get full because he wants the reward that comes after he uses the potty (flushing the toilet), lol. So not I have to reward him less and see if he actually lets his bladder get full, and if so then I don't have anything to worry about because I'll know what it was. It was really funny to see him just walk into the back office when they called him. He said "HI" to the nurse, let her take his weight and then just went waltzing into the office she directed him to. Then he said to his doctor when he came into the room "Hi Dr. Cummings!" It was so funny and I've never heard him do that. I didn't realize he even knew his doctor's name. Then on the way out he proceeded to tell us that his sticker had Thomas on it (the tank engine) after I told the doctor that he didn't know who it was because he's never seen that show. The doctor asked him "Alex, what else do you know that we don't know about?", lol.
In the world of knitting, I'm knitting a pair of Monkey socks by Cookie A. I cashed in my Bella Bucks from Bella Yarns and picked up some limited edition Skinny Sheep Feet yarn and cast right on. These are just beautiful and I think I'll be wearing these to death. I might even use this pattern to teach a sock class to my friends from church who talked about wanting to learn socks. I worked with a friend yesterday and she's off and running with her yarn and double-pointed needles. I'm very hopeful and will be waiting to hear that she's ready to turn the heel.
I've decided to spend some time at home just doing nothing, but that's been harder than I thought. I keep thinking that I'm supposed to be somewhere, or that I should start looking for another job, and then I have to tell myself that I'm not doing ANYTHING work related for at least two weeks. I've been working for eight straight years with out a real vacation, and last year I only took a week off. I think it's time for me to take some time off.
On the home front, I've been working on potty training, and Alex is really into flushing the toilet. I took him up to the doctor's office today because he used the potty about nine times in thirty minutes and just peed a little bit each time. I thought there might be something wrong, but the doctor said that it's more likely that he's not letting his bladder get full because he wants the reward that comes after he uses the potty (flushing the toilet), lol. So not I have to reward him less and see if he actually lets his bladder get full, and if so then I don't have anything to worry about because I'll know what it was. It was really funny to see him just walk into the back office when they called him. He said "HI" to the nurse, let her take his weight and then just went waltzing into the office she directed him to. Then he said to his doctor when he came into the room "Hi Dr. Cummings!" It was so funny and I've never heard him do that. I didn't realize he even knew his doctor's name. Then on the way out he proceeded to tell us that his sticker had Thomas on it (the tank engine) after I told the doctor that he didn't know who it was because he's never seen that show. The doctor asked him "Alex, what else do you know that we don't know about?", lol.
In the world of knitting, I'm knitting a pair of Monkey socks by Cookie A. I cashed in my Bella Bucks from Bella Yarns and picked up some limited edition Skinny Sheep Feet yarn and cast right on. These are just beautiful and I think I'll be wearing these to death. I might even use this pattern to teach a sock class to my friends from church who talked about wanting to learn socks. I worked with a friend yesterday and she's off and running with her yarn and double-pointed needles. I'm very hopeful and will be waiting to hear that she's ready to turn the heel.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
i finished something!
I spent the last week or so knitting the Sexy Vesty pattern and I actually finished it! I was totally monogamous to this project and i was lucky to finish it before my layoff date (which i still don't know for sure) as I knit it so i could wear it to this job. it worked out really well and i was very comfortable in it. i hated it when it came off the needles though, because i didn't catch something in the decrease section for the arms/shoulder section and the neckline turned out very different from the picture. i wanted to rip it out but decided to sleep on it, and the next morning i steam blocked it to see how i felt about it. it looked much better and i wore it for the day, where i received several compliments on it. after i posted it on Ravelry, it was favorited four times! so now i have decided that i do in fact love it and i will be leaving it alone.
in my quest to find what to do next, i decided to go back to Aaron's sweater and finish it up. I'm about halfway through his last sleeve and then i think i only have the neckline to finish. i just hate knitting in black stockinette stitch and I'm ready for a shawl on the needles! however, I'm starting my next term of school on Wednesday 5/13 and this time my classes are much heavier so i won't really be able to get into anything complicated. maybe I'll knit that Clapotis that I've been coveting for so long now. i have the yarn for it...
i decided to read something fun over my vacation so i checked out The Pelican Brief and Pet Sematary from the library. I finished The Pelican Brief which I whipped right through and then decided that I should probably pick up my new Psychology Text book and give it a once-over. I started to read the first chapter and take notes because these chapters are really long and I'll really need to work ahead to stay caught up
(although if I'm laid off, I'll have more time for school). the book is brilliantly laid out and I found it to be really interesting, although I'm a little concerned that this first chapter has 31 key terms in it! But so far I've learned some interesting things about the history of the field and it's early contributors. Did you know that one early scientist theorized that different areas of the brain controlled different functions of the mind (which is true) and that the stronger a person is in those areas of the mind, the larger the bumps on the skull will be? if you have a big brain, you're smarter is basically what they thought. really cool stuff. and now that I've done some of my reading, and knit some, and blogged for the first time in at least a week, I'm going to read some non-school related material and then go to bed.
Happy Mothers Day!! (I love you, Mom.)
in my quest to find what to do next, i decided to go back to Aaron's sweater and finish it up. I'm about halfway through his last sleeve and then i think i only have the neckline to finish. i just hate knitting in black stockinette stitch and I'm ready for a shawl on the needles! however, I'm starting my next term of school on Wednesday 5/13 and this time my classes are much heavier so i won't really be able to get into anything complicated. maybe I'll knit that Clapotis that I've been coveting for so long now. i have the yarn for it...
i decided to read something fun over my vacation so i checked out The Pelican Brief and Pet Sematary from the library. I finished The Pelican Brief which I whipped right through and then decided that I should probably pick up my new Psychology Text book and give it a once-over. I started to read the first chapter and take notes because these chapters are really long and I'll really need to work ahead to stay caught up
(although if I'm laid off, I'll have more time for school). the book is brilliantly laid out and I found it to be really interesting, although I'm a little concerned that this first chapter has 31 key terms in it! But so far I've learned some interesting things about the history of the field and it's early contributors. Did you know that one early scientist theorized that different areas of the brain controlled different functions of the mind (which is true) and that the stronger a person is in those areas of the mind, the larger the bumps on the skull will be? if you have a big brain, you're smarter is basically what they thought. really cool stuff. and now that I've done some of my reading, and knit some, and blogged for the first time in at least a week, I'm going to read some non-school related material and then go to bed. Happy Mothers Day!! (I love you, Mom.)
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