So things at work have been getting a little out of hand recently. I know that certain people are trying to force me out and are doing everything they can to paint me as a horrible person and all-around bad employee. I've gotten angry at times, I've taken potshots at others. I've whined, moaned, and complained about it enough to make all y'all sick. Granted, it is a hard thing working in a place where you are not valued and you are constantly being set up for failure by a manipulative liar whose greatest ambition is to see you fired, but that's no reason for me to take any retaliation.
I admit I have plotted, schemed, and planned ways to turn the tables in my present situation. I was actually going to take action today and do unto others the same slimy underhanded things they do to me. I have the opportunity to mess with the person who messes with me, but I decided not to take it.
In the early days of the church the saints had many horrible things done to them. I don't think having a petty insignificant supervisor make things a little hard for you while you continue to cash a steady paycheck can compare in any way with being tarred and feathered. Many times the saints wanted to seek revenge (some actually did take revenge and it turned out about as bad for the church as anything ever could) but were always counseled against it. Joseph Smith cried to the heavens for vengeance and the destruction of his enemies. I myself have wished plagues and all manner of horrible things on my oppressor. But the fact remains: the instructions the Lord gave the church was to be patient, seek legal recourse where they could, and trust in Him to give them what they need.
I have sought legal recourse with my oppressor. I have tried to call attention to the problems that plague this job through every authorized means I know, but it is all for naught. This is a state job and nobody gets fired unless they commit murder or something like unto it. I have applied to every other job in the system that I could find, but I don't think my deliverance will come that way.
Now back to the matter at hand: I have the ability and the resources at my disposal to play the same horrible mud-slinging game that is being played on me. The temptation to oppress the oppressor was unbearable. But I've been impressed by a couple things and I'd like to point them out here:
1) When I leave this horrible horrible job (and mark my words, I will leave it as soon as I am able) I want to leave it with the knowledge that even though I was mistreated in a number of ways and had every reason to seek vengeance, that I did not sink to their level. I don't want to leave this place knowing that they broke my spirit or that they brought me down to their level. It is my every intention to leave with as much dignity as I can muster.
2) This place has been as much of a trial as anything else in my life (living with horrible roommates, being single for way too long, being betrayed by friends, etc). If this is a trial, then there is obviously something I am supposed to learn here. If I ever want to get out, I have to learn what I need to learn and move on. I can't get caught up in revenge and hope to learn and grow. If The Count of Monte Cristo taught us anything (the book, not the 2002 movie which taught the exact opposite lesson of the book because some Hollywood executive wanted a happy ending) it's that revenge is never satisfying and it will ultimately consume the avenger and destroy their life. Just like it almost did for Sato in Karate Kid 2.
Anyway, the point of all this blabbering is to say that I don't want to be dragged down and end up staying here forever. I want to rise up and shake off these shackles. I don't want to be miserable for 40 hours a week for the rest of my life. I don't want to be so full of hatred that it seeps into my private life. So I'm letting a lot of that stuff go. It's a hard process and I'm not saying that I'm 100% done hating my oppressor right now as I write these words. But in choosing to not kick against the pricks, I'm taking that first step in the right direction that will eventually get me out of this place.
Anyway, this entry has been completely self-indulgent and I can't blame you if you didn't read it. I apologize for not writing sooner. I really wanted to let Megan write because you're all a lot more interested in what goes on with her job interviews than any whining or complaining I might be compelled to do. So I laid off for a while and let Megan take the wheel. Hopefully she'll get a new job soon and I'll be back trying to make mundane things sound interesting. But thanks for reading and thanks for all the thoughts and prayers on our behalf.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
My Two Minute Interview
I know a lot of you are anxious to find out how the interviews went. Well Wed was a fun day with just enough time time between interviews to go home, eat what ever meal was designated to that time of the day, and head out to the next interview.
The first interview was for a company called FreeLife International. Everyone there seamed really nice and they liked me enough to call me back for a second interview next Friday. I generally speaking like the job except for the fact that it's a multilevel marketing company. I know enough people that have had a negative experience in these types of companies (including myself) that it's left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. In the position that I would have with the company I wouldn't even really be able to tell that it's a direct sales company. I would be doing the same work as in any other job. It just depends if I can remove myself emotionally enough from the type of company it is to enjoy my job. In this case, if I needed to, I think I could.
The next interview with Ultra Entertainment had a much better cause than the first. Instead of promises of riches from selling Goji juice, Ultra Entertainment is a promotional company for emerging musicians around the country. I would be designing websites, press packages, posters and CD covers for independent musicians and small record companies. Everyone was super nice and the work there would be highly creative. Plus the company is in east Mesa so I would always be driving in the opposite direction as traffic. It's also about a mile away from where my sister Shannon lives, so I can go to her house during lunch. This is my favorite job possibility. My concerns with the job are that I know they are interviewing a lot of graphic designers so there's a greater chance that I won't be chosen and the pay won't be as high since they are dealing with clients that don't have a whole lot of money to throw around.
The next interview I has was for a position with a company in downtown Phoenix. This job is promising because I have a lot of experience in the type of work I would be doing. They really like the fact that in my last job I was responsible for proof reading the designs that went through our department to catch any possible mistakes. I also have experience in Quark which is a design program that is becoming fairly obsolete since the introduction of the Adobe Suite. My concerns with this company is that they are interviewing my for a position that already has a designer. Apparently they are unhappy with the designer because of some errors in proofreading that have gone through and some bad working habits that have developed. I know from personal experience that these types of behaviors are a system of low job satisfaction. I have had a position before that didn't give me enough time to properly check for errors and was stressful the the point where my work started to suffer. They seam to be having a consistent problem with this type of behavior and I'm wondering if it says more about the position than the people that have filled it. Plus this job is downtown Phoenix so I would be faced with 1-2 hours of total commuting everyday. This is probably my least favorite option, but It isn't bad enough that I would decline a job offer if I was given one.
Although the job interviews I had on Wednesday went well, none of them seamed like an absolutely perfect fit. The interview that I had on Thursday was one that both James and I had high hopes for. The pay was good, I met every qualification they were looking for and it wouldn't be that long of a commute. But even with everything that this interview had going for it, the interview was scheduled for 2:00 and I was back in my car by 2:02. The first thing the man interviewing me let me know was that the company was a distributor of adult items for relationship enhancement. He let me know that for the adult industry they were actually quite mild but for a hard core Christian of a Mormon it might not be a great fit. I let him know that I was indeed Mormon and we graciously parted ways without even cracking open my portfolio. So, I guess I found the limit of what I'm willing to put up with in a job. I'll take an MLM, lower pay or stress over working in the adult industry any day of the week.
Well thank you all for your love and support. I means a lot to us that we have so many people praying for our success.
Love you all,
Megan
The first interview was for a company called FreeLife International. Everyone there seamed really nice and they liked me enough to call me back for a second interview next Friday. I generally speaking like the job except for the fact that it's a multilevel marketing company. I know enough people that have had a negative experience in these types of companies (including myself) that it's left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. In the position that I would have with the company I wouldn't even really be able to tell that it's a direct sales company. I would be doing the same work as in any other job. It just depends if I can remove myself emotionally enough from the type of company it is to enjoy my job. In this case, if I needed to, I think I could.
The next interview with Ultra Entertainment had a much better cause than the first. Instead of promises of riches from selling Goji juice, Ultra Entertainment is a promotional company for emerging musicians around the country. I would be designing websites, press packages, posters and CD covers for independent musicians and small record companies. Everyone was super nice and the work there would be highly creative. Plus the company is in east Mesa so I would always be driving in the opposite direction as traffic. It's also about a mile away from where my sister Shannon lives, so I can go to her house during lunch. This is my favorite job possibility. My concerns with the job are that I know they are interviewing a lot of graphic designers so there's a greater chance that I won't be chosen and the pay won't be as high since they are dealing with clients that don't have a whole lot of money to throw around.
The next interview I has was for a position with a company in downtown Phoenix. This job is promising because I have a lot of experience in the type of work I would be doing. They really like the fact that in my last job I was responsible for proof reading the designs that went through our department to catch any possible mistakes. I also have experience in Quark which is a design program that is becoming fairly obsolete since the introduction of the Adobe Suite. My concerns with this company is that they are interviewing my for a position that already has a designer. Apparently they are unhappy with the designer because of some errors in proofreading that have gone through and some bad working habits that have developed. I know from personal experience that these types of behaviors are a system of low job satisfaction. I have had a position before that didn't give me enough time to properly check for errors and was stressful the the point where my work started to suffer. They seam to be having a consistent problem with this type of behavior and I'm wondering if it says more about the position than the people that have filled it. Plus this job is downtown Phoenix so I would be faced with 1-2 hours of total commuting everyday. This is probably my least favorite option, but It isn't bad enough that I would decline a job offer if I was given one.
Although the job interviews I had on Wednesday went well, none of them seamed like an absolutely perfect fit. The interview that I had on Thursday was one that both James and I had high hopes for. The pay was good, I met every qualification they were looking for and it wouldn't be that long of a commute. But even with everything that this interview had going for it, the interview was scheduled for 2:00 and I was back in my car by 2:02. The first thing the man interviewing me let me know was that the company was a distributor of adult items for relationship enhancement. He let me know that for the adult industry they were actually quite mild but for a hard core Christian of a Mormon it might not be a great fit. I let him know that I was indeed Mormon and we graciously parted ways without even cracking open my portfolio. So, I guess I found the limit of what I'm willing to put up with in a job. I'll take an MLM, lower pay or stress over working in the adult industry any day of the week.
Well thank you all for your love and support. I means a lot to us that we have so many people praying for our success.
Love you all,
Megan
Friday, October 24, 2008
Mele Kalikimaka Is Merry Christmas is Hawaii Talka
Hey everybody. I'm feeling pretty darn festive this week because I just started sorting through the songs for this year's Christmas CD's. Now you may be thinking, "Isn't it a bit early to start listening to Christmas music?" The answer is yes. It is a bit early. But here's the thing: the best time to look for Christmas music is right at or shortly after Christmas. It's too short a time for me to get a decent Christmas mix together and in all y'alls hands in time to enjoy it. So what do I do? I get all the songs I can during and after Christmas and then I use them for the next year's mix. So the songs you'll be hearing are all songs I actually found last year.
I throw everything that doesn't stink up the joint at first listen (the standards for what sounds good are pretty low when I'm at the stage in the process) into a playlist and let it sit for a year. Then I go through all that music and decide what's worthy and what ain't. Some songs get shuffled back in for next year when there are too many good songs to use in a single year. This year there are 271 songs in the running and only about 50 of them will get to be on the mix. So I decided to start my sorting now so I can have CD's to hand out to everybody at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately for me, the sorting is going faster than usual and I'm feeling myself slip into the Christmas spirit before we've even had Halloween. That just doesn't seem right.
The point of me explaining my holiday CD making process is to make you less likely to scratch your head at the title of today's entry. It comes from a Beach Boys song called "Mele Kalikimaka" and it's a fantastic/hilarious song. It actually didn't make the cut this year, so that ought to tell you how good the mix is going to be. You'll thank me later.
Oh, I should mention this: in one of the many podcasts I listen to (they keep me from getting bored at work...sort of)they were talking about the "Christmas Creep." It refers to the fact that stores are putting Christmas stuff out earlier and earlier every year. The term was actually coined in the 80s, but I just heard it a few weeks ago. Basically, retailers are trying to make as much money as possible from Christmas. I can't stand the commercialization of Christmas. Every year the people on the idiot box tell me I need to be spending more and more money on Christmas. They tell me I need to be buying new cars with big bows on them. They tell me I need to be buying diamonds. They try to sell me a grade A load of bull honky every single year and I get tired of it. But you know what I never get tired of? I never get tired of Christmas music (especially Christmas hymns), Christmas movies, giving and receiving goodie plates, caroling, spending quality time with the family, Christmas messages at church, reading the Christmas story, taking part in family traditions, peanut brittle...oh how I love the peanut brittle. I could go on and on about the things I love about Christmas (most of which don't cost a whole lot to enjoy), but I won't. The point is: I love Christmas. I can't wait for Christmas to roll around this year. The reason I can't wait isn't because I'm going to go crazy into debt so I can buy some love from friends and family by giving them extravagant presents. I'm looking forward to Christmas because I find that the older I get, the more the little things mean to me. So darn the Christmas creep and hooray for sorting through Christmas music in mid-October.
So I made a conscious effort to not write any entries this week. As you know, my lovely wife had several interviews this week, one that resulted in hilarious circumstances (I'll let her tell that story. It's a good'n). The interviews went well and she has a second interview lined up with one of the companies, so our faith and hopes are flying high as ever right now.
I've had a bit of a ridiculous week. Certain persons that I work for have really stepped up their efforts in trying to make me feel unwelcome in the liberry. I had no buffer yesterday and things got way out of hand. It is more clear now than it has ever been that I need to leave this place behind me. The only thing is: this is the only job Megan and I have between us. But rest assured: as soon as she's gainfully employed and we're back on our feet and rolling I'll be hitting the pavement looking high and low for any job that meets these two criteria: 1) They pay me better than this job, and 2) They aren't complete jerks. I don't imagine it would be too hard to find a job that meets those requirements even when factoring in the bad economy. But yeah, I think the point I was originally trying to make was this: there is a certain person who goes to great lengths to prove that there are no lengths to which they will not go to mess with me. Yeah, the boss man is a stinker.
One last thing I have to mention before I close this thing up: last week I missed the first Weezer concert of my life. I have seen them every single time they have been in Arizona from 1996 (the year I became old enough to go to concerts) onward. I have seen Weezer plenty of times, but I don't feel like I'm done seeing them. They are and will remain my favorite band of all time. Few bands have meant as much to me over the years (Jellyfish and The Band got me through some hard times, but I can't say that they have had as lasting an effect as Weezer). In many ways I wish I could have gone, but I'm okay that I didn't get to go. Megan and I are going through some of those hard times that define what a marriage is made of, and from what I can tell we're made of some reasonably strong stuff. I don't know if we've seen the worst of it yet or if there's more that will be required of us in the trials we're currently experiencing. But I can say that I'm proud of the choices I've made in the past year or two. I've had more joy and seen more improvement in my life than I've seen in a long time. So if I don't get to go to a Weezer concert because the wife and I are in the furnace of trial and affliction, that's okay. There are more important things in life, and I've already seen Weezer six times. This is not to say that I won't shoot for seven should the opportunity arise, but I'm acknowledging the fact that I'm a little more grown up than I used to be and that's not necessarily a bad thing.\
Okay, so I guess I've given you a hodgepodge of an entry today. Hopefully all y'all can figure out what I'm trying to say here. As always, thanks for your love and support. Megan and I appreciate it.
I throw everything that doesn't stink up the joint at first listen (the standards for what sounds good are pretty low when I'm at the stage in the process) into a playlist and let it sit for a year. Then I go through all that music and decide what's worthy and what ain't. Some songs get shuffled back in for next year when there are too many good songs to use in a single year. This year there are 271 songs in the running and only about 50 of them will get to be on the mix. So I decided to start my sorting now so I can have CD's to hand out to everybody at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately for me, the sorting is going faster than usual and I'm feeling myself slip into the Christmas spirit before we've even had Halloween. That just doesn't seem right.
The point of me explaining my holiday CD making process is to make you less likely to scratch your head at the title of today's entry. It comes from a Beach Boys song called "Mele Kalikimaka" and it's a fantastic/hilarious song. It actually didn't make the cut this year, so that ought to tell you how good the mix is going to be. You'll thank me later.
Oh, I should mention this: in one of the many podcasts I listen to (they keep me from getting bored at work...sort of)they were talking about the "Christmas Creep." It refers to the fact that stores are putting Christmas stuff out earlier and earlier every year. The term was actually coined in the 80s, but I just heard it a few weeks ago. Basically, retailers are trying to make as much money as possible from Christmas. I can't stand the commercialization of Christmas. Every year the people on the idiot box tell me I need to be spending more and more money on Christmas. They tell me I need to be buying new cars with big bows on them. They tell me I need to be buying diamonds. They try to sell me a grade A load of bull honky every single year and I get tired of it. But you know what I never get tired of? I never get tired of Christmas music (especially Christmas hymns), Christmas movies, giving and receiving goodie plates, caroling, spending quality time with the family, Christmas messages at church, reading the Christmas story, taking part in family traditions, peanut brittle...oh how I love the peanut brittle. I could go on and on about the things I love about Christmas (most of which don't cost a whole lot to enjoy), but I won't. The point is: I love Christmas. I can't wait for Christmas to roll around this year. The reason I can't wait isn't because I'm going to go crazy into debt so I can buy some love from friends and family by giving them extravagant presents. I'm looking forward to Christmas because I find that the older I get, the more the little things mean to me. So darn the Christmas creep and hooray for sorting through Christmas music in mid-October.
So I made a conscious effort to not write any entries this week. As you know, my lovely wife had several interviews this week, one that resulted in hilarious circumstances (I'll let her tell that story. It's a good'n). The interviews went well and she has a second interview lined up with one of the companies, so our faith and hopes are flying high as ever right now.
I've had a bit of a ridiculous week. Certain persons that I work for have really stepped up their efforts in trying to make me feel unwelcome in the liberry. I had no buffer yesterday and things got way out of hand. It is more clear now than it has ever been that I need to leave this place behind me. The only thing is: this is the only job Megan and I have between us. But rest assured: as soon as she's gainfully employed and we're back on our feet and rolling I'll be hitting the pavement looking high and low for any job that meets these two criteria: 1) They pay me better than this job, and 2) They aren't complete jerks. I don't imagine it would be too hard to find a job that meets those requirements even when factoring in the bad economy. But yeah, I think the point I was originally trying to make was this: there is a certain person who goes to great lengths to prove that there are no lengths to which they will not go to mess with me. Yeah, the boss man is a stinker.
One last thing I have to mention before I close this thing up: last week I missed the first Weezer concert of my life. I have seen them every single time they have been in Arizona from 1996 (the year I became old enough to go to concerts) onward. I have seen Weezer plenty of times, but I don't feel like I'm done seeing them. They are and will remain my favorite band of all time. Few bands have meant as much to me over the years (Jellyfish and The Band got me through some hard times, but I can't say that they have had as lasting an effect as Weezer). In many ways I wish I could have gone, but I'm okay that I didn't get to go. Megan and I are going through some of those hard times that define what a marriage is made of, and from what I can tell we're made of some reasonably strong stuff. I don't know if we've seen the worst of it yet or if there's more that will be required of us in the trials we're currently experiencing. But I can say that I'm proud of the choices I've made in the past year or two. I've had more joy and seen more improvement in my life than I've seen in a long time. So if I don't get to go to a Weezer concert because the wife and I are in the furnace of trial and affliction, that's okay. There are more important things in life, and I've already seen Weezer six times. This is not to say that I won't shoot for seven should the opportunity arise, but I'm acknowledging the fact that I'm a little more grown up than I used to be and that's not necessarily a bad thing.\
Okay, so I guess I've given you a hodgepodge of an entry today. Hopefully all y'all can figure out what I'm trying to say here. As always, thanks for your love and support. Megan and I appreciate it.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
New Hope
Hey Everybody,
I thought I would just drop a little line to let you know that I was able to schedule four interviews over the next two days. I have three interviews tomorrow and one interview on Thursday.
Wed 8:00am
I'm a little hesitant about this interview because it is for a multilevel marketing company. It's just a graphic design position, so I wouldn't be directly involved in the sales of the product, but I just don't know how I would feel about supporting a cause like that. But, what do I know? Maybe the Himalayan jungle juice they're selling is really changing lives and making a difference in the world. Who am I do judge.
Wed 11:00
This interview is for creating websites and other promotional resources for local musicians for what I can tell. It sounds like a really interesting job, but I'm not sure if I'm that qualified since I haven't had a whole lot of web design experience. I honestly don't remember applying for the job because I didn't think I applied for any jobs that list web design as one of the main aspects of the job. It would be great if I got the job because it would give me experience in designing websites which is something that I've really been wanting to do. This job would be nice because it is located in East Mesa, so I would be driving against traffic everyday.
Wed 2:00pm
This job seems like it would be the best career choice because it is for a larger advertising firm in downtown Phoenix. The major drawback is that the job is located right down town. This means that the traffic getting to work would be terrible. I feel a little bad though because the position is to replace a graphic designer that is already working there. The poor guy doesn't even know he's loosing his job. This job does seem promising since they have already seen several example of my work and like what they see.
Thurs 2:00pm
This is a position that both James and I feel pretty good about. I have all the basic requirements for the job, plus some qualities that they listed as a major plus that other designers might not have. They are looking for someone who has product photography experience(which I do)and someone who is customer service oriented (which I am).
I'm really happy to have gotten all the calls for interviews today after not getting anything the previous week. Hopefully I will be happily situated in a new job by the end of October.
I'll let you all know how the interviews went when they're done. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Wish me luck!
Megan
I thought I would just drop a little line to let you know that I was able to schedule four interviews over the next two days. I have three interviews tomorrow and one interview on Thursday.
Wed 8:00am
I'm a little hesitant about this interview because it is for a multilevel marketing company. It's just a graphic design position, so I wouldn't be directly involved in the sales of the product, but I just don't know how I would feel about supporting a cause like that. But, what do I know? Maybe the Himalayan jungle juice they're selling is really changing lives and making a difference in the world. Who am I do judge.
Wed 11:00
This interview is for creating websites and other promotional resources for local musicians for what I can tell. It sounds like a really interesting job, but I'm not sure if I'm that qualified since I haven't had a whole lot of web design experience. I honestly don't remember applying for the job because I didn't think I applied for any jobs that list web design as one of the main aspects of the job. It would be great if I got the job because it would give me experience in designing websites which is something that I've really been wanting to do. This job would be nice because it is located in East Mesa, so I would be driving against traffic everyday.
Wed 2:00pm
This job seems like it would be the best career choice because it is for a larger advertising firm in downtown Phoenix. The major drawback is that the job is located right down town. This means that the traffic getting to work would be terrible. I feel a little bad though because the position is to replace a graphic designer that is already working there. The poor guy doesn't even know he's loosing his job. This job does seem promising since they have already seen several example of my work and like what they see.
Thurs 2:00pm
This is a position that both James and I feel pretty good about. I have all the basic requirements for the job, plus some qualities that they listed as a major plus that other designers might not have. They are looking for someone who has product photography experience(which I do)and someone who is customer service oriented (which I am).
I'm really happy to have gotten all the calls for interviews today after not getting anything the previous week. Hopefully I will be happily situated in a new job by the end of October.
I'll let you all know how the interviews went when they're done. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Wish me luck!
Megan
Friday, October 17, 2008
An Hour From the Weekend
Hey everybody. I'm sitting here at work with a little less than an hour left between me and the weekend. I must say I really need this one. Every now and again the downpresser man decides he's not annoying me enough and decides to really heap it on thick. Today was just such a day. He usually picks Fridays because at the end of the week he suddenly realizes that he only has a few more hours to pester and annoy me before I go home to my loving wife and enjoy yet another fantastic weekend. Everything I've learned over the past little while indicates to me the fact that the boss man wishes he had friends, so when he sees the other workers and I chatting and generally enjoying the camaraderie of the moment, he gets jealous because he doesn't have that. He also doesn't have a lovely wife to go home to. If I had to guess, I'd guess that his home life is far from satisfying.
Over the last little while I've been trying to humanize the boss man in hopes that when I leave this place in my rear view mirror, I'll be able to forgive him for every mean, nasty, or evil thing he's ever done to me. I don't want to haul that baggage around forever, and I would toss it right now if only he wasn't adding to the size and weight of the aforementioned baggage on a daily basis.
So how's that, eh? I start out the post with total vagueness. Anyway, I would have started this post a lot earlier in the day had I not come across a fantastic photo blog. I was searching through the uniwatch blog (where they fanatic about every last detail of sports uniforms) and they had a link to another blog which has high resolution scans made from old timey photo negatives. Some of them are really impressive. Take a look over at http://www.shorpy.com/ if you want to see the sorts of pictures I was looking at for two solid hours. If you click on the "view full size" links for the photos, you can see them in all their high-definition glory. They have all sorts of stuff there. They have pictures of spectators on a hillside for one of the early civil war battles, they have pictures of Japanese Americans being transported to the relocation camps in the 1940s, and lots and lots of other interesting pictures. I feel like these pictures give a pretty good view of what the world was like 80 or more years ago. It's definitely worth a look-see.
So Megan still hasn't heard back from that job she interviewed with over a week ago, so we're assuming that call won't come. She's been really good at keeping busy and taking on freelance work and finding ways to bring in a little extra cash so we can keep our heads above water. We're still hoping and praying that she'll be able to get a new job soon.
As for me, I can't say that I've been looking too hard for a new job. I feel more strongly than ever the need to leave this place and go work somewhere normal where you aren't punished for having ambition or doing the right thing (I can tell you stories about both being punished for having ambition and being punished for doing the right thing. Actually, scratch that. I can think of several stories in support of both statements). I desperately want to work in a better place, but it's hard to start looking when this job is what pays the bills these days. But don't think for a moment that I won't hit the job market like a tonne of feathers when Megan is working again and we've built up our savings a little.
These days we seem to do a lot of hoping, wishing, and praying (as well as an awful lot of window shopping). The bad economy seems to be affecting a lot of people these days, and Megan and I are a far sight better than a lot of people out there. So I guess we can't wallow in despair too much. We've got to move upward and onward.
Anyway, it's now Monday. I thought I actually finished this thing and got it up before the weekend, but I guess not. I don't think I was quite done saying what I was going to say, but I'd wager I lost my train of thought over the weekend, so I'll just post this thing as-is. Enjoy.
Over the last little while I've been trying to humanize the boss man in hopes that when I leave this place in my rear view mirror, I'll be able to forgive him for every mean, nasty, or evil thing he's ever done to me. I don't want to haul that baggage around forever, and I would toss it right now if only he wasn't adding to the size and weight of the aforementioned baggage on a daily basis.
So how's that, eh? I start out the post with total vagueness. Anyway, I would have started this post a lot earlier in the day had I not come across a fantastic photo blog. I was searching through the uniwatch blog (where they fanatic about every last detail of sports uniforms) and they had a link to another blog which has high resolution scans made from old timey photo negatives. Some of them are really impressive. Take a look over at http://www.shorpy.com/ if you want to see the sorts of pictures I was looking at for two solid hours. If you click on the "view full size" links for the photos, you can see them in all their high-definition glory. They have all sorts of stuff there. They have pictures of spectators on a hillside for one of the early civil war battles, they have pictures of Japanese Americans being transported to the relocation camps in the 1940s, and lots and lots of other interesting pictures. I feel like these pictures give a pretty good view of what the world was like 80 or more years ago. It's definitely worth a look-see.
So Megan still hasn't heard back from that job she interviewed with over a week ago, so we're assuming that call won't come. She's been really good at keeping busy and taking on freelance work and finding ways to bring in a little extra cash so we can keep our heads above water. We're still hoping and praying that she'll be able to get a new job soon.
As for me, I can't say that I've been looking too hard for a new job. I feel more strongly than ever the need to leave this place and go work somewhere normal where you aren't punished for having ambition or doing the right thing (I can tell you stories about both being punished for having ambition and being punished for doing the right thing. Actually, scratch that. I can think of several stories in support of both statements). I desperately want to work in a better place, but it's hard to start looking when this job is what pays the bills these days. But don't think for a moment that I won't hit the job market like a tonne of feathers when Megan is working again and we've built up our savings a little.
These days we seem to do a lot of hoping, wishing, and praying (as well as an awful lot of window shopping). The bad economy seems to be affecting a lot of people these days, and Megan and I are a far sight better than a lot of people out there. So I guess we can't wallow in despair too much. We've got to move upward and onward.
Anyway, it's now Monday. I thought I actually finished this thing and got it up before the weekend, but I guess not. I don't think I was quite done saying what I was going to say, but I'd wager I lost my train of thought over the weekend, so I'll just post this thing as-is. Enjoy.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
He Jist Broke a Motor, Sump'n Jist Happened
So I've been wanting to make a change to this blog for a while. As you may or may not have noticed, I've been half-heartedly throwing up Friday memes for a while now. They aren't funny or interesting anymore. It feels like I've been answering the same questions over and over again and it seems pointless now. So no more.
I think the initial intent of the Friday meme was to tell you things about me that you wouldn't have thought to ask, as well as provide me an outlet to poke fun at the spelling and grammar of whoever takes the time to write those questionnaires. In recent days I haven't been accomplishing either of those goals so it seems the best course is to make a clean cut and be done with it.
So I'll just try to write more often and I'll make every effort to make it interesting. That being said, please remember that my life isn't always interesting and there are always plenty of things I would love to write about the dysfunction that surrounds me (at work, not at home) but big brother is always watching so I can't. But I'll try to keep giving you a reason to come back and read up on what we do and how we're doing.
As we've gotten this blog rolling, you've probably noticed the difference between the times when I write and the times when Megan writes. I try to write at least twice a week, and I take up an extraordinary amount of space to say very little. Megan writes about once a month and takes very little space to tell you everything you wanted to know about our lives. This is probably a trend you can expect to continue as this blog lumbers into the future.
I just got off the phone with Megan, and things aren't looking too promising for the other job she interviewed with. They told her to contact them if she didn't hear from them by early this week. It's Wednesday and she called them a few times and left a message and nobody has called her back. So that doesn't look too promising. As of right now there aren't a whole lot of graphic design jobs out there. With the economy as bad as it is (I've mentioned this before and I'll say it again: we're a Hawley-Smoot Tariff away from a second great depression) marketing departments tend to be the first to go when companies cut cost and dump personnel. So, as always, your faith and prayers on our behalf are needed and appreciated.
I'd have to say that as tests of faith go, we're past the part where we recognize our circumstances as a test of faith and right smack dab in the middle of the part where we honestly thought the test would be over by now seeing as how we figured out it was a test. But as you all know, tests like these don't end at your convenience, they end when you learn what you were supposed to learn. So here's to hoping that we'll figure it out...and soon.
I don't know if any of the previous paragraph makes sense to you, but it made sense to me as I was writing it. With that said, I think I'll close this thing on up.
I think the initial intent of the Friday meme was to tell you things about me that you wouldn't have thought to ask, as well as provide me an outlet to poke fun at the spelling and grammar of whoever takes the time to write those questionnaires. In recent days I haven't been accomplishing either of those goals so it seems the best course is to make a clean cut and be done with it.
So I'll just try to write more often and I'll make every effort to make it interesting. That being said, please remember that my life isn't always interesting and there are always plenty of things I would love to write about the dysfunction that surrounds me (at work, not at home) but big brother is always watching so I can't. But I'll try to keep giving you a reason to come back and read up on what we do and how we're doing.
As we've gotten this blog rolling, you've probably noticed the difference between the times when I write and the times when Megan writes. I try to write at least twice a week, and I take up an extraordinary amount of space to say very little. Megan writes about once a month and takes very little space to tell you everything you wanted to know about our lives. This is probably a trend you can expect to continue as this blog lumbers into the future.
I just got off the phone with Megan, and things aren't looking too promising for the other job she interviewed with. They told her to contact them if she didn't hear from them by early this week. It's Wednesday and she called them a few times and left a message and nobody has called her back. So that doesn't look too promising. As of right now there aren't a whole lot of graphic design jobs out there. With the economy as bad as it is (I've mentioned this before and I'll say it again: we're a Hawley-Smoot Tariff away from a second great depression) marketing departments tend to be the first to go when companies cut cost and dump personnel. So, as always, your faith and prayers on our behalf are needed and appreciated.
I'd have to say that as tests of faith go, we're past the part where we recognize our circumstances as a test of faith and right smack dab in the middle of the part where we honestly thought the test would be over by now seeing as how we figured out it was a test. But as you all know, tests like these don't end at your convenience, they end when you learn what you were supposed to learn. So here's to hoping that we'll figure it out...and soon.
I don't know if any of the previous paragraph makes sense to you, but it made sense to me as I was writing it. With that said, I think I'll close this thing on up.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
A Young Quarterback Waits for the Snap
Well, today something I had been fearing came true: I found out that I didn't get the job I interviewed for. When I came back from lunch today, I found two computer-generated emails waiting for me. They both said the same thing: we decided to hire someone else for that job you applied for.
Needless to say, my first instincts were to be crushed, depressed, and even a little angry. I immediately second-guessed everything I had said in the interview, especially the part where I told them they could contact my current supervisor. I imagined the sorts of things he would have told them to destroy my chances of getting the job. Remember: he did tell me once that he relishes the opportunity to give bad references to people he dislikes and there are few people he dislikes as much as me. My head was spinning as I tried to find a reason why anyone wouldn't want to give me a job. I emailed my inside contact (I've decided to keep the whole anonymity thing going here, though you probably know who I'm talking about) and asked them what they could tell me about why I didn't get the job. Did I not give a good interview? Should I have declined to let them speak to my supervisor? Was I completely unqualified?
Immediately after running every conceivable bad scenario in my head, I called Megan to break the news to her. She listened to me whine and moan, and then reassured me and promised we'd have tacos tonight (do I have a great wife or what? Seriously).
It didn't take long for my inside contact to get back to me. They told me that I interviewed well and that everyone was impressed with the diplomatic answers I gave when I could have easily trashed this job and the people I work for. The only thing that sunk me is that a couple people who have map experience interviewed after me, so I legitimately lost to people who are more qualified, which still stinks but not as much.
So my plan was to get really down and depressed today and just soak in all the badness. Maybe I would mingle some of my disdain for the boss man with my depression over not getting the job and create some sort of angry/depressed gravy that I could just drizzle over the whole day. But it didn't happen that way.
I've been listening to conference on my ipod before and after my institute classes. Today I listened to Elder Uchtdorf's talk entitled, "The Infinite Power of Hope" before class and Elder Wirthlin's talk entitled, "Come What May And Love It" after class. So I basically got a double dose of apostolic counsel on how to deal with adversity. So I figured that with those talks fresh on my mind, I couldn't choose despair over hope. Not only that, but I've chosen despair a number of times in my life because it's easy, it actually feels good at first, and it seems like a natural reaction. But choosing despair has never gotten me anything other than a super awesome picture of me with super long hair and a beard. What the hey, let's post that picture. You know you love it.
So the point is: I'm not growing a beard and long hair this time. I'm moving upward and onward right away. In a lot of ways I felt like that job I applied for was my last chance to keep working in this library system. So not getting the job may actually turn out to be a not-so-gentle prompting that this library system is not where I'm supposed to be. I can deal with that. I don't know where I'm supposed to go or what I'm supposed to do, but I'm obviously not meant to grow old and rot away in this place. So my quest will be to find what it is I'm supposed to be doing and go right on and do it.
Granted, I might not get the chance to pull myself away immediately. If I was a younger unmarried man with any amount of savings I would quit this job tomorrow (I picture some scenario involving me holding a boombox over my head blaring David Allen Coe's immortal "Take This Job and Shove It") and get started right away. But as things stand right now, Megan and I need whatever income I can get from this place. So I might be here for now, and it might take me a while to get where I'm going, but I am willing to accept the fact that I will not be a librarian for the rest of my life, and I suppose I should thank the heavens for it. So I take this from the whole rigmarole: there is something better out there for me.
Now let's take things in a slightly different direction that will bring us right back to the point I've already driven into the ground. Yesterday I got a letter from the HR department stating that they'll be taking a big ol' chunk of money out of one of my paychecks this month to pay for the Arizona taxes I forgot to pay. How did I forget to pay my Arizona taxes you ask? Well, I filed my taxes early knowing that I could use my refund to buy Megan a ring. If I paid Arizona the money they wanted from me, I wouldn't have enough to get her a ring. So I decided to pay the state of Arizona when I got the chance, and I never remembered to do it. So I get a letter telling me that they're taking their dang money and there's nothing I can do about it.
Megan and I are in hard times. We know we'll have enough to pay our mortgage and bills this month, but we have no idea how we'll pay for it next month. Not only do we not have the money for next month, I won't even be getting paid as much because of the whole "levying my wages" thing. So to say that we're flying by the seat of our pants here is a massive understatement.
Now being faced with such a situation can get a variety of responses from a married couple, but Megan and I have already decided what we're going to do: we're going to pray, we're going to fast, and we're going to pay every red cent of tithing we owe. Then we're going to pray some more.
This is obviously one of those situations where the Lord doesn't want us to be able to say, "Thanks, but I solved it on my own." I've had a few of those in my life, so I know how to recognize them when they come. Megan and I are having our faith tested, and we are dead set on passing the test. It feels a little like a commercial break for "The Dukes of Hazzard" where them Duke boys have gotten into some sticky situation and right before the break Waylon Jennings tells us, "Them Duke boys sure are in a pickle. How are they gonna get out of this one?" But we know we'll be ok. We know deliverance will come and when it does we promise not to think that we delivered ourselves.
As always, your faith and prayers on our behalf are much appreciated. Every night Megan and I thank the heavens for our family and the love and support you all give to us. So keep that up.
On an unrelated note: do any of you ever listen to the little mp3 players I put up at the top of the page? I don't want to make them autostart because sometimes it's annoying to get music when all you want is words, but I have no indication that anyone ever listens to them. So get back to me on that. You know...if you feel like it.
Needless to say, my first instincts were to be crushed, depressed, and even a little angry. I immediately second-guessed everything I had said in the interview, especially the part where I told them they could contact my current supervisor. I imagined the sorts of things he would have told them to destroy my chances of getting the job. Remember: he did tell me once that he relishes the opportunity to give bad references to people he dislikes and there are few people he dislikes as much as me. My head was spinning as I tried to find a reason why anyone wouldn't want to give me a job. I emailed my inside contact (I've decided to keep the whole anonymity thing going here, though you probably know who I'm talking about) and asked them what they could tell me about why I didn't get the job. Did I not give a good interview? Should I have declined to let them speak to my supervisor? Was I completely unqualified?
Immediately after running every conceivable bad scenario in my head, I called Megan to break the news to her. She listened to me whine and moan, and then reassured me and promised we'd have tacos tonight (do I have a great wife or what? Seriously).
It didn't take long for my inside contact to get back to me. They told me that I interviewed well and that everyone was impressed with the diplomatic answers I gave when I could have easily trashed this job and the people I work for. The only thing that sunk me is that a couple people who have map experience interviewed after me, so I legitimately lost to people who are more qualified, which still stinks but not as much.
So my plan was to get really down and depressed today and just soak in all the badness. Maybe I would mingle some of my disdain for the boss man with my depression over not getting the job and create some sort of angry/depressed gravy that I could just drizzle over the whole day. But it didn't happen that way.
I've been listening to conference on my ipod before and after my institute classes. Today I listened to Elder Uchtdorf's talk entitled, "The Infinite Power of Hope" before class and Elder Wirthlin's talk entitled, "Come What May And Love It" after class. So I basically got a double dose of apostolic counsel on how to deal with adversity. So I figured that with those talks fresh on my mind, I couldn't choose despair over hope. Not only that, but I've chosen despair a number of times in my life because it's easy, it actually feels good at first, and it seems like a natural reaction. But choosing despair has never gotten me anything other than a super awesome picture of me with super long hair and a beard. What the hey, let's post that picture. You know you love it.
So the point is: I'm not growing a beard and long hair this time. I'm moving upward and onward right away. In a lot of ways I felt like that job I applied for was my last chance to keep working in this library system. So not getting the job may actually turn out to be a not-so-gentle prompting that this library system is not where I'm supposed to be. I can deal with that. I don't know where I'm supposed to go or what I'm supposed to do, but I'm obviously not meant to grow old and rot away in this place. So my quest will be to find what it is I'm supposed to be doing and go right on and do it.
Granted, I might not get the chance to pull myself away immediately. If I was a younger unmarried man with any amount of savings I would quit this job tomorrow (I picture some scenario involving me holding a boombox over my head blaring David Allen Coe's immortal "Take This Job and Shove It") and get started right away. But as things stand right now, Megan and I need whatever income I can get from this place. So I might be here for now, and it might take me a while to get where I'm going, but I am willing to accept the fact that I will not be a librarian for the rest of my life, and I suppose I should thank the heavens for it. So I take this from the whole rigmarole: there is something better out there for me.
Now let's take things in a slightly different direction that will bring us right back to the point I've already driven into the ground. Yesterday I got a letter from the HR department stating that they'll be taking a big ol' chunk of money out of one of my paychecks this month to pay for the Arizona taxes I forgot to pay. How did I forget to pay my Arizona taxes you ask? Well, I filed my taxes early knowing that I could use my refund to buy Megan a ring. If I paid Arizona the money they wanted from me, I wouldn't have enough to get her a ring. So I decided to pay the state of Arizona when I got the chance, and I never remembered to do it. So I get a letter telling me that they're taking their dang money and there's nothing I can do about it.
Megan and I are in hard times. We know we'll have enough to pay our mortgage and bills this month, but we have no idea how we'll pay for it next month. Not only do we not have the money for next month, I won't even be getting paid as much because of the whole "levying my wages" thing. So to say that we're flying by the seat of our pants here is a massive understatement.
Now being faced with such a situation can get a variety of responses from a married couple, but Megan and I have already decided what we're going to do: we're going to pray, we're going to fast, and we're going to pay every red cent of tithing we owe. Then we're going to pray some more.
This is obviously one of those situations where the Lord doesn't want us to be able to say, "Thanks, but I solved it on my own." I've had a few of those in my life, so I know how to recognize them when they come. Megan and I are having our faith tested, and we are dead set on passing the test. It feels a little like a commercial break for "The Dukes of Hazzard" where them Duke boys have gotten into some sticky situation and right before the break Waylon Jennings tells us, "Them Duke boys sure are in a pickle. How are they gonna get out of this one?" But we know we'll be ok. We know deliverance will come and when it does we promise not to think that we delivered ourselves.
As always, your faith and prayers on our behalf are much appreciated. Every night Megan and I thank the heavens for our family and the love and support you all give to us. So keep that up.
On an unrelated note: do any of you ever listen to the little mp3 players I put up at the top of the page? I don't want to make them autostart because sometimes it's annoying to get music when all you want is words, but I have no indication that anyone ever listens to them. So get back to me on that. You know...if you feel like it.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
There Hides the Cowboy
Normally I'm not the sort of guy who posts music videos (or videos in general for that matter) in hopes of turning people onto fantastic music they may not have found otherwise. I'll talk music with you all day if you want to, but I try not to force it on people. But today I threw a video up for two reasons 1) It's the song I've had stuck in my head all day and it seems super relevant right now and 2) It's just a video of the band playing. There's no trick cinematography or anything, it's just the band playing the song. So give it a listen if you want to. It's a good song.
But yeah, the reason I've had that song stuck in my head is because Megan and I really need to hold on to our hope and our faith right now. It is becoming increasingly more important for us to get the jobs we've interviewed for, but the process might take longer than we anticipated. They haven't called my references yet, which starts me thinking, "Well, maybe they won't call them because they've already decided to hire someone else." or "They won't call them because they want to hire me based on my own representation of my skills and abilities." or "They are way behind in the process and it'll take forever to find out." All these lines of thought can have dangerous consequences. I need to keep my thoughts realistic now more than ever and hold on to the hope and the faith that things will work out fine for Megan and I. We're honestly doing everything we know how to do to get these jobs. It's just so easy to get discouraged when things don't come in the time frame you want them to come in.
Megan has been especially frustrated because she wants to be out working and contributing to our family finances, but she doesn't have a ton of control over whether or not these people hire her or not. So it's easy to think that just because they aren't calling her right at the beginning of this week that they might not call at all. But once again, we know that there is a process that things have to go through. If they make the recommendation that I get my job, I know it has to clear the hiring committee, library administration, and human resources before they even give me a call. But I really want them to call me right now and tell me I got it. Megan and I are a little impatient, which I think is understandable.
But the important thing is that in this time of trial the most important thing for us to do will be to put our trust in the one sure place we can put it. We both have faith that if we live up to the things that have been asked of us, we will be blessed both temporally and spiritually. We have faith and we have hope, but we can't help but falter a little as Peter did when he saw the billowing surge beneath his feet. So having, "Hold on Hope" by Guided By Voices stuck in my head all day isn't a bad thing. It's not a hymn, but it's a good song and it reminds me that the trials we're going through are as much a test of faith as they are of anything else.
Also, Megan and I have noticed that the hope that we've had the past couple weeks has made everything just a little better and a little brighter at home. I love her a little more this week than I did last week, and I think she feels the same (not that we didn't love each other last week, but we love each other more). There have been a lot of positive effects that have already come from this trial, and I expect that those we have seen thus far will not be the last. The only thing is that it's so easy as a human being to want everything right now rather than waiting to see how it all turns out in time. I have no doubt that everything will be fine and we'll pass this trial with flying colors but, as Tom Petty once said, "The waiting is the hardest part."
Monday, October 06, 2008
A Week of Weekends
So I can't say with any amount of certainty which things happened when this weekend. I ended up taking a couple sick days (yes, I was actually sick for a bit) and the weekend seemed both really long and really short. The main thing is that I had a lot of fun and Megan and I feel closer than ever, so all in all it was a winner of a weekend. Anyway, keep in mind as I write this that I may not be remembering things in their correct chronological order.
On Thursday, as many of you already know, I had an interview for another library job. If nothing else comes of it (though I sincerely hope that is not the case) it gave me hope that I might not be stuck here for the rest of eternity. The interview went well for all I can tell, but I'll definitely be dissecting every question and answer for the next week or so, because it'll take them at least until Friday to let us know who gets the job. I can expect a call from them either way, which is a nice thing to know. Megan is still waiting on the two jobs she interviewed for, and we don't know when, how, or if they'll inform her of the outcome. So at least I know that I'll know. That's comforting.
I know there were a few questions I could've answered better, and there were a few times when I absolutely knew I was appealing to the inner librarian of the interviewers. I have a fighting chance of getting this job, and I could ask no more and no less. The past couple weeks have been filled with hope as Megan and I both had interviews, and the next week or so will be filled with anticipation as we anxiously wait for what we hope will be multiple job offers. This is something that we've been working and praying for in earnestness, so I really hope things work out in our favor. The people in the other library seem really nice. I already know a couple of them, and those I didn't know before the interview seem like nice folks as well. I think you may remember me saying that I'd exchange my current job status for one where my immediate supervisor was cold, impersonal, and businesslike. That would be a major upgrade. But to work with people who are actually nice? It seems too much to ask. I honestly don't know what I'd do. Probably cry a lot, I'd wager.
So yeah, I can't and don't want to give a lot of specifics for my interview, but I have a lot going for me. I don't think I have hindered my chances in any way, so the only thing to worry about is a potential dark horse candidate who is legitimately more qualified than I am. But I know I have a few people pulling for me, so I feel good about it. If who you know is really more important than what you know, I stand a really good chance at getting this job. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.
Megan's prospects sound good, too. Everyone is always impressed with her portfolio, and the two companies she's interviewed with both seem like good, steady work. One of them is a motorcycle company, so maybe there'd be some perks for Dad in there. Who knows? But both jobs are less than 5 miles from our house, and Megan could get there on a bike with no problem (that's something she'd be really excited to do). So we're really hoping that she gets a call from either of those jobs. They didn't give her a time line or anything, so we don't know how many other people are interviewing, or when they'll make an offer or if they'll call her if she doesn't get the job. So we're really on pins and needles there. Any and all prayers on her behalf would be much appreciated.
After my interview, Megan and I took a trip over to the temple. We decided that we wanted to do sealings, and as we walked through the door, one of the sisters immediately asked us if we wanted to do sealings. We told her that that was exactly why we were there, and we were whisked off to the sealing office. One of the other couples doing sealings with us was a mutual friend of ours. He was one of the old 5th ward gang that used to hang out in the old institute. We recognized him immediately, but it took him a minute to remember us, which I guess is fair because we couldn't (and still can't) remember his first name. But it was nice running into them.
On Thursday night/Friday morning I kept waking up every couple hours. I had a bad headache going, and was running a bit of a fever. I felt like I was burning up, but Megan said my forehead was cool. After soaking the sheets in sweat, I went into the spare oom and caught a couple hours of sleep, but not much. It was a fairly restless night for me. So I ended up calling in sick for the second day in a row. Megan let me sleep in the spare oom for a few hours after she woke up, and by the time I actually got out of bed, I didn't feel as bad as I did during the several times when I woke up during the night.
On Friday we had a friend over that I hadn't seen in years: Jeff Moulton. Jeff, Jenna, and all the kids paid us a visit on Friday. They were in town for Jenna's little brother's wedding, but they dropped by and paid us a little visit. They wanted to eat on the cheap, as did Megan and I, so we ended up lighting a fire in our fire pit and having an olde fashioned weenie roast. It was fun to reminisce with Jeff a bit, and in meeting Jeff Megan has become more acquainted with the sorts of people I hung out with in high school.
On Saturday and Sunday we watched conference, as you would expect. I always seem to have a hard time staying awake toward the end of the afternoon sessions, which is a shame because that's when a lot of good talks happen. I clean missed Elder Bednar's talk, so I'll have to catch up on that when I put all the sessions on my ipod later. But conference was really good. Megan and I are both really impressed with President Uchtdorf. He has been through a lot in his life and he's really an amazing man. I won't say too much about conference because...well...most of you heard it, and a lot of you were probably awake more than I was during the afternoon sessions, so I don't need to tell you about conference.
At one point during the weekend Megan and I made our usual trip to the reptile store. We really need to get new tortoises soon. The house does seem a little more empty without turbo in it, and they have some really great African Spurred tortoises at the reptile store. I know which one I would've picked up if we had the money to take them that day.
Well, I'm sure I'm missing some major details of the weekend. I hope Megan writes an entry of her own and fills in any of the gaps I may have left. It was a good weekend, filled with hope. Now we're in the week of anticipation and I honestly don't know how I'll wait this out patiently. But let me say now as I said before, we appreciate the prayers being said on our behalf. It feels good to know that so many people are pulling for us. We sure need it.
Anyway, look forward to the entries this week because they may or may not have good news in them. Either way, they'll be interesting.
On Thursday, as many of you already know, I had an interview for another library job. If nothing else comes of it (though I sincerely hope that is not the case) it gave me hope that I might not be stuck here for the rest of eternity. The interview went well for all I can tell, but I'll definitely be dissecting every question and answer for the next week or so, because it'll take them at least until Friday to let us know who gets the job. I can expect a call from them either way, which is a nice thing to know. Megan is still waiting on the two jobs she interviewed for, and we don't know when, how, or if they'll inform her of the outcome. So at least I know that I'll know. That's comforting.
I know there were a few questions I could've answered better, and there were a few times when I absolutely knew I was appealing to the inner librarian of the interviewers. I have a fighting chance of getting this job, and I could ask no more and no less. The past couple weeks have been filled with hope as Megan and I both had interviews, and the next week or so will be filled with anticipation as we anxiously wait for what we hope will be multiple job offers. This is something that we've been working and praying for in earnestness, so I really hope things work out in our favor. The people in the other library seem really nice. I already know a couple of them, and those I didn't know before the interview seem like nice folks as well. I think you may remember me saying that I'd exchange my current job status for one where my immediate supervisor was cold, impersonal, and businesslike. That would be a major upgrade. But to work with people who are actually nice? It seems too much to ask. I honestly don't know what I'd do. Probably cry a lot, I'd wager.
So yeah, I can't and don't want to give a lot of specifics for my interview, but I have a lot going for me. I don't think I have hindered my chances in any way, so the only thing to worry about is a potential dark horse candidate who is legitimately more qualified than I am. But I know I have a few people pulling for me, so I feel good about it. If who you know is really more important than what you know, I stand a really good chance at getting this job. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.
Megan's prospects sound good, too. Everyone is always impressed with her portfolio, and the two companies she's interviewed with both seem like good, steady work. One of them is a motorcycle company, so maybe there'd be some perks for Dad in there. Who knows? But both jobs are less than 5 miles from our house, and Megan could get there on a bike with no problem (that's something she'd be really excited to do). So we're really hoping that she gets a call from either of those jobs. They didn't give her a time line or anything, so we don't know how many other people are interviewing, or when they'll make an offer or if they'll call her if she doesn't get the job. So we're really on pins and needles there. Any and all prayers on her behalf would be much appreciated.
After my interview, Megan and I took a trip over to the temple. We decided that we wanted to do sealings, and as we walked through the door, one of the sisters immediately asked us if we wanted to do sealings. We told her that that was exactly why we were there, and we were whisked off to the sealing office. One of the other couples doing sealings with us was a mutual friend of ours. He was one of the old 5th ward gang that used to hang out in the old institute. We recognized him immediately, but it took him a minute to remember us, which I guess is fair because we couldn't (and still can't) remember his first name. But it was nice running into them.
On Thursday night/Friday morning I kept waking up every couple hours. I had a bad headache going, and was running a bit of a fever. I felt like I was burning up, but Megan said my forehead was cool. After soaking the sheets in sweat, I went into the spare oom and caught a couple hours of sleep, but not much. It was a fairly restless night for me. So I ended up calling in sick for the second day in a row. Megan let me sleep in the spare oom for a few hours after she woke up, and by the time I actually got out of bed, I didn't feel as bad as I did during the several times when I woke up during the night.
On Friday we had a friend over that I hadn't seen in years: Jeff Moulton. Jeff, Jenna, and all the kids paid us a visit on Friday. They were in town for Jenna's little brother's wedding, but they dropped by and paid us a little visit. They wanted to eat on the cheap, as did Megan and I, so we ended up lighting a fire in our fire pit and having an olde fashioned weenie roast. It was fun to reminisce with Jeff a bit, and in meeting Jeff Megan has become more acquainted with the sorts of people I hung out with in high school.
On Saturday and Sunday we watched conference, as you would expect. I always seem to have a hard time staying awake toward the end of the afternoon sessions, which is a shame because that's when a lot of good talks happen. I clean missed Elder Bednar's talk, so I'll have to catch up on that when I put all the sessions on my ipod later. But conference was really good. Megan and I are both really impressed with President Uchtdorf. He has been through a lot in his life and he's really an amazing man. I won't say too much about conference because...well...most of you heard it, and a lot of you were probably awake more than I was during the afternoon sessions, so I don't need to tell you about conference.
At one point during the weekend Megan and I made our usual trip to the reptile store. We really need to get new tortoises soon. The house does seem a little more empty without turbo in it, and they have some really great African Spurred tortoises at the reptile store. I know which one I would've picked up if we had the money to take them that day.
Well, I'm sure I'm missing some major details of the weekend. I hope Megan writes an entry of her own and fills in any of the gaps I may have left. It was a good weekend, filled with hope. Now we're in the week of anticipation and I honestly don't know how I'll wait this out patiently. But let me say now as I said before, we appreciate the prayers being said on our behalf. It feels good to know that so many people are pulling for us. We sure need it.
Anyway, look forward to the entries this week because they may or may not have good news in them. Either way, they'll be interesting.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Change of Pace
For a little change of pace, we will have a blog entry written by Megan today.
I know you all are anxious to find out how the interviews are going. I had my second interview with a company called BC Designs yesterday. The first interview went great but I'm still trying to decide how I felt about the interview yesterday. It was with the president and owner of the company so thats got to make anyone feel a bit nervous. I was thrown off for a bit in the beginning because I walked into his office and it looked like my office would look if I hadn't cleaned it in 20 years. Now I'm not going to judge anyone for having a messy office because we all know that I'm not the cleanest person in the world, but it did make it difficult in trying to show him my portfolio. I had to put the box over piles of paper and other junk on his desk because there was nowhere to put everything otherwise. Once I had shown him each piece there wasn't really anywhere to put it. He didn't really have too much to say about my portfolio, but doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't impressed by it, he was just hard to read.
After I showed him my portfolio, he took me on a tour of the office and told me a little more about the company. While we were touring we ran into the designer who interviewed me and he looked pleased to see me so that's a good sign. The company is actually set in two different buildings so the design department is separated from most of the hustle and bustle of the main office.
After the interview he asked me if I had any questions then sent me on my way. The reason I'm a little anxious about whether or not I'm getting this job is because he didn't make me an offer and didn't give me any information about when I should be hearing back about the job. He did give me his card and told me to call him if I had any questions, so I made sure to write him an email and thank him for the interview and asked him to let me know that the next steps in the hiring process are.
My favorite perk of getting this job would be that it's about 3 miles from our house. That means I can ride my bike to work. What's even greater is that the canal runs right behind our house and is pretty much a direct route to the office. That means I wouldn't even have to take the main roads to work. I can just ride along side the canal every day.
I had another interview with a company called Ride Now Motor Sports this morning that went well. I believe I had the first interview slot so I won't hear anything for a few days.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when going into the interview. It was a callback on a job posting I responded to about a week ago and forgot about, so I didn't know that much about the company going into it. I was surprised that it took up a pretty large building. The office is the corporate headquarters of about 30 stores across the nation. The great thing about this company is that it's fairly large and still growing. That means a bit more job security for yours truly. The design department is actually really large which would be nice for me since I've never worked in that large of a department. The company is actually located a stones throw away from the other company I've interviewed with so I could still ride me bike.
So at this point, everything is just wait and see. I would be thrilled to get either job.
On a sadder note . . .
We had our funeral for Turbo last night. It was a sad little affair, but it was as nice of a funeral as any tortoise could hope for. We used a black canvas box that I made a couple of years ago for the coffin and filled it with wood shavings and a good picture of James and Turbo together. I made him a headstone with a drawing of him on a piece of flagstone we found to put in his cage. We also bought a small bunch of yellow flowers to put at his grave. So we had a little candle light ceremony for him and sent him on his way. It was pretty sad to say goodbye to our little guy.
So for the next few day's I'm gong to try and get all the things done I can that will be easier now that I'm not in work. This involves stuff like getting a new drivers license and the such.
I will keep you posted on the any updates in the job situation. Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf. Hopefully we will know soon.
Love you all,
Megan
I know you all are anxious to find out how the interviews are going. I had my second interview with a company called BC Designs yesterday. The first interview went great but I'm still trying to decide how I felt about the interview yesterday. It was with the president and owner of the company so thats got to make anyone feel a bit nervous. I was thrown off for a bit in the beginning because I walked into his office and it looked like my office would look if I hadn't cleaned it in 20 years. Now I'm not going to judge anyone for having a messy office because we all know that I'm not the cleanest person in the world, but it did make it difficult in trying to show him my portfolio. I had to put the box over piles of paper and other junk on his desk because there was nowhere to put everything otherwise. Once I had shown him each piece there wasn't really anywhere to put it. He didn't really have too much to say about my portfolio, but doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't impressed by it, he was just hard to read.
After I showed him my portfolio, he took me on a tour of the office and told me a little more about the company. While we were touring we ran into the designer who interviewed me and he looked pleased to see me so that's a good sign. The company is actually set in two different buildings so the design department is separated from most of the hustle and bustle of the main office.
After the interview he asked me if I had any questions then sent me on my way. The reason I'm a little anxious about whether or not I'm getting this job is because he didn't make me an offer and didn't give me any information about when I should be hearing back about the job. He did give me his card and told me to call him if I had any questions, so I made sure to write him an email and thank him for the interview and asked him to let me know that the next steps in the hiring process are.
My favorite perk of getting this job would be that it's about 3 miles from our house. That means I can ride my bike to work. What's even greater is that the canal runs right behind our house and is pretty much a direct route to the office. That means I wouldn't even have to take the main roads to work. I can just ride along side the canal every day.
I had another interview with a company called Ride Now Motor Sports this morning that went well. I believe I had the first interview slot so I won't hear anything for a few days.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when going into the interview. It was a callback on a job posting I responded to about a week ago and forgot about, so I didn't know that much about the company going into it. I was surprised that it took up a pretty large building. The office is the corporate headquarters of about 30 stores across the nation. The great thing about this company is that it's fairly large and still growing. That means a bit more job security for yours truly. The design department is actually really large which would be nice for me since I've never worked in that large of a department. The company is actually located a stones throw away from the other company I've interviewed with so I could still ride me bike.
So at this point, everything is just wait and see. I would be thrilled to get either job.
On a sadder note . . .
We had our funeral for Turbo last night. It was a sad little affair, but it was as nice of a funeral as any tortoise could hope for. We used a black canvas box that I made a couple of years ago for the coffin and filled it with wood shavings and a good picture of James and Turbo together. I made him a headstone with a drawing of him on a piece of flagstone we found to put in his cage. We also bought a small bunch of yellow flowers to put at his grave. So we had a little candle light ceremony for him and sent him on his way. It was pretty sad to say goodbye to our little guy.
So for the next few day's I'm gong to try and get all the things done I can that will be easier now that I'm not in work. This involves stuff like getting a new drivers license and the such.
I will keep you posted on the any updates in the job situation. Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf. Hopefully we will know soon.
Love you all,
Megan
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