StinkyLemsky: A Child of the 80s Grows Up

Busting out... in more than one way

Okay, I'm pretty sure Ashley and I were separated at birth or something because she totally picked up on my obscure reference to Return to Oz! I have no idea why certain lines of that movie stick with me so much, especially considering the fact that I can hardly remember what happened yesterday. I'm pretty sure there was a trip to the MAC counter involved? Maybe some food? Oh yes, there was definitely an evening bike ride. Hubby brought along his new Forerunner (a GPS device that tells you what pace and distance you're traveling) and the trail was so windy that our pace going uphill was actually faster than our pace going downhill. Now that is some serious wind resistance. 

Back to the makeup topic though... this morning I got up fifteen minutes early to give myself plenty of time to get used to my new makeup products and techniques. I probably should have made it thirty minutes, though, because it took me forever to put my makeup on! I'm sure I'll get faster as I get more practice... hopefully. The verdict? I am very pleased with the results. I'm going for a "nuetral" look today, so it's not a drastic difference from what a normally wear - just better shades for my complexion. I was most afraid of the brow pencil and it turned out to be very easy to use. Unfortunately, the lip pencil was a bit of a bust and I had to use gloss to even things out - that will definitely take some practice. I'm a little nervous for the first time I try the "smokey eye" technique - I don't have as many notes on that process (oh man - I am worried about my notes - I am such a dork...), but I'm sure it will work out fine. I can always put in an emergency email to Danielle (the makeup artist) if I'm totally lost. Oh, by the way, she started her own blog!

Today's my very last day at Beer Company X. Who wants to take bets on how long I have to stick around before I can pack up my laptop and head home? I'm hoping I get to leave by lunch because that would give me plenty of time to go shopping. I'm meeting my new bosses & coworker tomorrow and the dress is "casual." I'm planning on wearing business casual tomorrow, but also packing "jeans casual" just in case. I'd rather be over dressed than underdressed, right? Of course, there's a slight problem - ALL of my business clothes are one size too small. I'm not going to vent about weight loss here - that's really a topic for my other blog. So - back to shopping. I'm hoping to find some good deals today - maybe even some clearance slacks that can get me through until I'm back in the right size.

Okay, it's time to start packing up my printer & getting ready to get out of here. When the boss man comes to my desk, I want to be READY.

On the road again...

First of all, thank you so much for your congratulatory comments on my last few posts! This has been a really difficult process for me (speaking as someone who is used to a much shorter job search) and I'm so glad it's finally over! Now, of course, I have to finish up my current period of employment at "Beer Company X," and one stipulation of said employment's severance package is that I assist in the set-up of our new office in Kansas City. Care to wager as guess as to what city's hotel will be providing my wake-up call tomorrow morning?

Ding ding ding, you guessed correctly! I'm here at the airport Marriott in Kansas City (unless you're a crazy UPS guy delivery man, in which case I'm actually in Tasmania indefinitely). Yes, I'm soaking up the luxuries of freshly made bed linens and fluffed hand towels (also? relieved that my miniature containers of shampoo and conditioner were transported without leakage incident). I'm finding it extremely ironic that my first trip away from my husband this year is not, in fact, a result of my new position with an incentive company. I guess fate is mentally preparing me for the transition or something.

Whatever the case, here I am - exhausted after a day that included (in no particular order) a 5:00am alarm, a four hour drive, several hours of boredom, two heavy meals, and some window shopping at Sephora. Oh, I guess I do have to admit I sueezed in about one solid hour of work - there just isn't much we can do at the office yet without a few essential ingredients. I'm not trying to be greedy or anything, but walls would help. As would an internet connection and power. Just, you know, for starters. Call me crazy, but I'm a big fan of electricity and an even bigger fan of the world wide web. Walls? Walls are overrated. 

Tomorrow we'll have some more hauling around to do of various boxes and assorted office supplies. Oh, and we'll still be without internet, so I'm pretty sure there's another trip to Sephora in our future. Don't even get me started on the glorious popcorn at Topsy's (Old Fashioned Popcorn Treats). Is this just a Kansas City phenomenon? I sure hope there's not one in St. Louis because I've checked our budget spreadsheet and "popcorn" is not a huge slice of the "fun money" pie. No sir, I'll have to take that particular complaint up with the Finance department. Aka my husband. There's not a soul on earth that could convince me that we don't need a little more gourmet popcorn in our life. 

The 411

Okay, sorry to leave you hanging there - I just had to make some phone calls & tell my family the details before posting again. Here's the scoop - I was offered (and accepted!) a Project Manager position with an event planning company. I agreed to a whopping 25% pay increase, the opportunity to work from home with only 30% travel, and a workload that basically includes a bullet point list of everything I enjoy doing. (!!!) Mainly I will be covering the spectrum from planning events, executing them on site, working on developing marketing plans, and even putting my writing skills (mad skills, of course) to use! Oh, and the best news? They want me to start as soon as possible- my last day at "Beer Company X" is Tuesday, March 31st, and they want me to start Wednesday, April 1st!

(Insert whoop of delight here)!

This is the huge break I've been waiting for - this interview process alone took four months from start to finish. There were so many times over the last year that I thought this day would never come. I'm so glad I was persistent with following-through and didn't let this job get away from me. The feeling of relief is overwhelming!  

Now... I think I'll take Teresa's advice and head to the breakroom for an ice cold beer... Cheers!

Update...

I HAVE A JOB... more info to come later...

At a crossroads...

I have a phone call in thirty minutes with the gentlemen that could potentially be my new bosses. Needless to say, I'm insanely nervous. Whether or not I get accepted for this position, at least I'll finally know. I have a few backup plans in terms of next steps if I get a rejection - I've even been tossing around ideas for starting my own business. So, regardless of the outcome, things will be okay. I'll be back later to share the news (good or bad)...

No phone call yet.

First things first... I have decided to take the extremely high road and follow the only sensible course of action regarding the delivery man. Avoidance. That's right, folks, I hide when I see him coming. Yes, I know this makes me immature - and yes, I'm really just pawning him off on my trainee, but I'm just NOT good at confrontation and how easy is it really to say, "You're making me uncomfortable," out loud. Ugh. I just can't do it. Yes, I am a wimp. However, if I had more than 3 weeks left in this office I would totally call his supervisor.

Regarding the job... I haven't heard yet. Even though I was supposed to get a call "Thursday" and it is now officially after five pm (Eastern Standard Time) on Thursday. This is truly making me certifiably insane. Yet again, I feel like I'm in the job-search version of "He's just not that into you."

I am also drinking a beer. At work. What can I say? Cold beer in the break room fridge is one of the key perks of working for a brewing company. (And I plan on enjoying that particular perk to the fullest while I still have the chance!). For three more weeks that is.

Writer's Block

It's been a bit rough for me the last few days and I'm kind of at a loss as to what to write. Now, let me point out that my "rough" is not anywhere equivalent to the kind of "rough" that I've been reading about elsewhere in the blog-o-verse. Yes, I'm losing my job in three weeks. Yes, I don't have a new job yet. Yes, I'm spending my work days training my replacement. But... things could be worse. Things could always be worse. I'm trying to keep that perspective in mind when I write and not just post a bunch of "woe is me with my roof over my head and my groceries in the fridge" drivel here daily.

So, I'll try and keep this short and sweet and minimally laced with whining. Here are the details... I'm expecting a phone call Thursday from the events company with whom I've had three interviews. I'm hoping this is the call where they either hire me or say 'thanks, but no thanks," because I am so completely done with waiting patiently. I've had at least two emotional outbursts over the seemingly years-long wait (seriously, my first interview was back in November), and I'm not sure how much more my family can take of anxiety-ridden-I-can't-handle-change-Becky. I'm guessing they've reached full capacity on that particular personality trait.

Also, please don't think I've been betting the farm on that one particular company / job. I've applied for dozens of positions in the recent weeks and networked with nearly everyone I know. Short of posting a plea for employment on Facebook, of course. A girl's gotta have some dignity, right? (Who am I kidding? I'm a heartbeat away from buying one of these shirts).   I've reactivated my application with a local headhunter and even have a few friends at work putting out feelers in the local marketing / advertising community.

The nets have been cast - now I wait.

We interrupt this Disney recap...

In case you're wondering why I haven't been talking much about work or job hunting lately, it's not because I haven't been totally absorbed by the topic twenty-four hours a day. In actuality, I don't want to scare away my few regular readers with posts like "I am so excruciatingly bored today... again" or "No, I still don't have a job yet - Yes, it is stressful," on a daily basis. Because, yes - I am bored at work. I am so, so very bored. Do I spend a significant amount of time searching for jobs? Yes, about an hour per day. Have I found anything worth applying for? Well... define "worth." Would you like to be a truck driver? I hear they're hiring.

Here's the scoop - I've had three interviews with an event planning company. (My first interview was way back in December). They've all gone extremely well, especially the last one (which was with the person I'd be working with on a daily basis). At the end of that call, I was told I'd get an answer by March 1st. For those of you who aren't quite awake yet this morning, that's this Sunday. However, it feels like it's eight million light years away. I've also been job hunting for a full year now, people! Granted, it's been an 'off and on' process, because there were a few months in there where I thought I'd be able to stay with my current company, but still. Twelve months of dealing with a lack of job security, questioning my pursuit of an MBA, wondering how we'd pay the bills if I didn't find something, etc.

And yet, what choice do I have? So, I wait. And I plan. And I drive my family and friends absolutely crazy dissecting the "what if" scenarios. Hubby and I have looked at the numbers and we're fairly confident that I could cobble together enough small jobs (waiting tables, retail, lifeguarding, babysitting...) to keep us afloat. Thank God hubby's job is relatively secure at this point (though he works in the financial industry), so I am grateful for that, at least.

I've also had to really let go of my desire to find a job that I want versus a job that I need. At this point, I'm bookmarking everything that even has the slightest amount of potential. Who knows what career path I might end up taking (dog training at our local pet store? a return to substitute teaching? getting certified in secondary education?). I guess I never expected to find myself feeling so adrift in my career at this point in my life. I certainly never expected to be seriously considering a job waiting tables just a few short months after finishing my Master's degree; but if I don't find a job by April 1st, that's exactly where I might end up.

April Fools, indeed.

Let's hope the hijinx don't include quite so much food poisoning...

Remember way back - when I first told you about my job searching adventures? Well, in an unexpected manner, that search may be coming to a end. Yesterday I had my second interview with a small, privately owned events company for a position similar to my job running corporate events. The main difference would be less travel (about 30% versus 90%) and the opportunity to be in more of a planning / leadership capacity - working with the client from idea creation to program execution instead of just the on-site stuff. 

Needless to say, I'm very excited. Of course, I'm not totally thrilled about being away from home (and my husband / family) 100 days a year. On top of that, my friend recommended me for another position at an entirely different company that would pay a significantly higher salary and bump my career in another direction - but they haven't even called me for an interview. In my experience, until you're in the room for an interview you may as well be hoping for a job playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys because that's just as likely to happen.

On the positive side, I'd be working for a small, growing company - with lots of opportunities to really impact the bottom line and truly make a difference. I'd be working from home (no commute!) and with people who seem to be very driven and entrepreneurial. So, let's just say I'm hopefully optimistic. I'm not sure how starting a family will work into the picture, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I have several friends without work now, and I know I'm incredibly lucky to have found something so ideal.  

Not to mention the most important aspect: being on the road again would give me lots of adventurous hijinx to blog about!

Hiatus: Complete

First of all... I'm sorry I left you hanging there for a few (okay, several) days. Yes, I did make it to my final destination in Ohio. Unfortunately it was about twenty-four hours after my original arrival time was schedule. C'est la vie, right? I had an amazing Christmas vacation (my in-laws even went to the trouble of throwing me a graduation party) complete with friends, family, presents all around, and even a few untimely hangover moments. Sigh - life is good. 

Also over the break - three small bundles of joy were welcomed into the world in my circle of friends! They're all girls and absolutely adorable, down to the last one. Oh, and let's just say all that baby time was NOT good for my hormones, thank you very much! Hubby and I are still firmly in the "waiting / preventing" camp, if you're interested (which, it appears everyone from the grocery checkout man to the cousin-I-never-talk-to is interested, apparently. My in-laws even had a pool going!) So, for now I'll have to settle for nom-nom-ing on other people's babies. (Another friend is due in six days - good grief people - was there a party I missed nine months ago or something?!)

I'm so ready to settle into the "new normal" in my house - for me that means no rushing to school on weeknights (Can you believe it?!), lots of time to train for a triathlon in June (my first!) & get back into shape (don't even get me STARTED on the holiday bloat / weight gain. Gah), hubby's foray into his next certification level (which involves at least two hours a day of studying for approximately 2.5 years. Yes, he is crazy. Bless his overacheiving heart), and time to catch up on my Blurb book for 2008. For those of you who don't know about Blurb, you HAVE to try it. Trust me. I got hooked after reading this post.

Of course, I'll be back to my job-searching hijinx soon (as a quick aside, I just googled the definition of "hijinx" and apparently "I do not think that word means what you think it means" but I'm using it anyway). The countdown to cubicle ejection is getting shorter and shorter and still - not a job offer in sight. Well, okay, there are a few potentials, but nothing concrete.

If you could send a little good-luck-job-dust my way, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm reading Waiter Rant and having nightmares that I'm serving tables again and lets just say it's not good for my self esteem. Not that my current position is, either, but at least I don't have to worry about rolling silverware and stocking ketchup bottles before they let me go home at night. Silver lining, my friends, silver lining.