Taking a walk down memory lane… Blog style January 30, 2008

Yeah…

So, here I sit, up to my elbows in alligators (someone kindly remind me to look up the meaning/origin of that charming saying) and I’m trying to keep my promise to myself. That one where I said I would keep my blog all fresh and sparkly clean, full of cool updated posts by Yours Truly.

And then life got in the way.

Between packing my house, working out the final details of custody stuff, planning a move, working on training the new hire coming in to take over some aspects of my job, training the existing employees who are taking over the other aspects of my job, the job hunt for a new job (in a new city, where I’ve never lived before), and all that goes along with those things, my blog has fallen into disrepair. Or is it dishabille? Or… Oh, never mind.

In the interest of keeping things fun, and because I dealt with a charming gent on the phone who, after receiving my resume, apparently did some world-class digging and found my little hole in the Web (yipe), I am posting links to some of my older posts.

Why? Well, some of them are those “most popular” things, though I’ve no clue why. Others are just ones I like for some reason or another. And no, I’m not telling which is which!

Want proof that bigger isn’t always better? Go here.

How about a nostalgic look at color and those crayons we all loved? Click here.

A funny story about a family on a camp out and some rather pesky wind? Try this.

And finally, that question women should never ask, “Do these jeans make my butt look fat?” 

Job description – if it needs doing, do it and do it well. January 29, 2008

Part of leaving any job is getting things ready for the next person who sits in your chair.

In my case, that person is going to have some big shoes to fill. It’s not that I think that highly of myself, it’s just that over the years, a lot of odd jobs have fallen into my space, and they’re the kind of things that have to get done, and no one else even thinks about them because I make sure they get done. And that made no sense… really.

Put another way, unless they hire someone in time for me to do some training, there is going to be a train wreck. Seriously.

Meanwhile, the job hunt begineth.

I’ve started shopping around. Or peddling myself, to be more accurate. And along with the updated resume (oh wasn’t that a fun thing?) comes things like companies searching various “social networking” sites to see what a potential employee is up to online. Oh yeah, and the various “professional networking” sites, let’s not forget those paragons of the information age.

Thus I find myself forced to take a serious look at my “public persona” – at what people can find and see of me. And of course, how easy am I to find based on my resume information? And do I go ahead and share my blog, various sites, etc? Or do I keep them hidden, hoping to not be found?

I don’t recall having this problem eight years ago.

I didn’t have to assemble a portfolio of my work (oh, goody, you wanna see my etchings?)

I didn’t have to worry about a potential employer seeing something distasteful (to them) on MySpace, YouTube, FaceBook, etc, etc, etc, etc. I didn’t have to worry about updating my LinkedIn profile either.

Mind you, I am a child of the digital age, and I love that my job search can be done primarily from the comfort of my little chair, sitting in front of the computer, coffee cup in hand.

But at the same time, it’s a bit daunting.

The more research I do, the more I find more and more companies turning to the Internet. And why shouldn’t they? There’s a wealth of info out there, and it certainly benefits the employer as well (goodness, my company stopped putting paper ads in a while ago and now relies exclusively on the ‘net.)

And really, I have nothing to hide.

It’s just a new version of that age old dilemma – how much information do I give a prospective employer? How much do I tell them about me? How much do I let them see? But now it has a new twist – how much can they find, and does it reflect well on me as a potential employee?

And so I enter the marketplace, putting my best foot forward, even if it is clad in html and .com instead of stockings and good leather pumps, and hoping for the best.

Yes, my blog, my “presence” online is who I am – such as it is – and while it may change, adapting to new requirements, new responsibilities, etc (as does everything in life), it’s not going to go away. I’m not going to cease doing what I do.

And so, for what it is worth – hey world! Here I am. Like it or lump it.

Embarrassing our children – the job of parents everywhere January 22, 2008

What can I say? I firmly believe it is the job of parents to make sure to have plenty of embarrassing stories, preferably with photographic evidence, of their children’s foolishness.

Why? Well, to embarrass them in front of future girlfriends/boyfriends, of course!

Yes, I am firmly aware that my children will probably be seeking years of therapy thanks to having me for a mom. Yeah. I know. I deal with it. It runs in the family.

Hence – my careful saving of pictures such as these… On a night my kids and I were goofing around, and of course, I had a camera handy. You’d think The Boy would know better than to do this stuff in front of me when I’m armed with a camera. Really. C’mon now.

What parent could resist?

Dancing around and singing: I like big butts….

Showing off the Mr. Universe physique…

Estate Sale Madness January 21, 2008

We went to a few sales this weekend. Why? Well, partly because we like to. Partly because our new house is oh so much bigger than the one we’re currently in, and we’re going to need a few furniture pieces. And partly because we were already out and about looking for moving boxes – ones that weren’t nasty gross.

Anyway, we went to a few sales this weekend, and I really wish I’d brought my camera to snap some pics of one place in particular. But hey, I’m a writer (at least, my boss thinks so) and I’ll see if I can do this with words.

Imagine a small, 1940’s style bungalow – with a cute little front porch, clapboard sides, casement windows, wood floors, lathe and plaster walls, neat architectural details – all that cool stuff. Got that in your mind? Good.

The house has had some additions, so it’s an absolute maze of rooms, doorways, hallways and just odd spaces – each connecting to the other in the strangest of ways. Which, admittedly, can be charming and fun. This wasn’t.

Now, imagine it decorated in Victorian-style antiques, beautiful old rugs, etc. Got that picture in your mind? Good.

Notice I haven’t said anything about colors yet? That’s because it doesn’t matter. You’ll understand.

Next, imagine that decorating done very cluttered – as in there is not a single surface that isn’t overflowing with stuff – and I mean both horizontally and vertically.

Now add heavy satin curtains to every window and doorway. Put so much furniture in the room that there is a wide path through the room and you have to twist around things to get through a door you couldn’t see for all the stuff, add piles of toss pillows everywhere and you’re maybe coming close.

Are you dizzy yet? I’m not done.

If you’re imagining moderately cluttered – double it.

If you’re imagining supremely cluttered – add half again.

If you’re imagining a storage facility filled to the rafters – you’re close.

And that color question? There is no color scheme here. Pale blues nestle up against bright golds, which in turn sit with deep greens and soft coppers. A bright red is resting happily with a pale, minty green and baby pink sits cosily with a color best described as “burnt pumpkin.” I’ve no clue what the walls were like – they were too covered with stuff to tell. I think they may have been a butterscotch color. Maybe.

Now, imagine carting into this already cluttered space a pile of things for sale – things like antique costume jewelry (in boxes, glass display cases, on antique disembodied hands, etc), still more pillows, artwork propped against settees, and more and more and more stuff piled everywhere.

While you’re at it – add in a distinctly Asian theme to some of this Victorian decor, make sure it includes things from Japan, China and the Philippines,  all bunched together. Oh, and don’t forget to hang crystal decorations in each doorway, and hang them low enough so that even I (at barely 5′4″) had to duck to keep from bumping them.

Finally, fill the home with music – I’m not quite sure, I was too busy trying to avoid stepping on things – I think it might have been Stravinsky, and it was loud.

Some dedicated treasure hunters might find this cool – me? I was begging for air! That and it was very difficult to know what was for sale and what wasn’t. I found a lovely table, only to find it wasn’t for sale. A terrific painting – you guessed it – not for sale.

I did finally find a pair of masks I thought would make a nice addition to my collection, but the asking price was far higher than I was willing to pay, and negotiation apparently was out of the question.

I felt sorry for The BF, if I was having to duck through doorways, he was having to hunch over. It didn’t take long before we both reached “overload” and decided to vacate, post haste!

Back in the fresh air outside, I started to giggle, wondering if anyone had ever gotten lost in that maze of rooms and stuff. My vivid imagination started into gear, imagining people getting lost inside, the maze of rooms continuing on forever and ever almost like a huge forest before finally some piece of deceptively squashy furniture swallowed the resting interloper whole, leaving perhaps only their jewelry as a sign they were there.

Oh, now I see a great short story there!

Counting down… The Work and Move Files January 18, 2008

As of today – it is precisely 5 weeks before my last day of work with this company.

I’ve been here for almost 8 years. It’s going to seem strange to leave.

As of today – it is precisely 6 weeks before we pack the moving truck.

I’ve been in Southern California nearly all of my life (except for a short jaunt in Northern Cal for school and a very brief period as a toddler in Iowa, which I mercifully don’t remember). It’s going to seem strange to leave.