I was very kind to this animal. But the look in his eye says he knows I ate his cousin in Peru.
shhhh...
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Rojo The Llama
Therapy Llama Rojo came to the TV Job.
I was very kind to this animal. But the look in his eye says he knows I ate his cousin in Peru.
shhhh...
I was very kind to this animal. But the look in his eye says he knows I ate his cousin in Peru.
shhhh...
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Temping week 2
Okay, so the temp job is getting a little bit better. So far I've just been doing catch up work. But now I'm getting a better grasp of what is "abnormal," I'm going to be getting my channels next week. The staff has been really kind. Though there is this awkward undercurrent of stuff that goes unsaid.
Meanwhile at the Chevy dealership it's F*** this and F*** that! and "I don't know what's worse, the Italians or the Gypsies." I mean, so much of it is absolutely offensive and biggoted. But also hilarious when you take two steps back from the situation and watch it like TV.
Then Dr. G... oh the doctor... she's pulling her end of month crap again. Where she tries not to pay me and I have to get all huffy. Soon we'll have a confrontation, she'll pay me like... 2 weeks late and we'll continue in this little cloud of tension until the contract ends. Because it doesn't seem like she's going to fire me because I do have a lot of specific knowledge regarding her accounts. And I'm not going to quit because I feel obligation to see all of my contracts through.
I hit meltdown yesterday when I found out that Dr. G was trying to hide payments from me (my paycheck is dependant on the payments, I get 5%). I'm working 7 days a week. I come home from my jobs with their regular hours and I sit down and do 2 -3 hours of billing, while Mister makes dinner and keeps me company. I wind up with a good 2 hours of "Nanette Time" each night before I have to go to bed... because without sleep, I will really meltdown. Like non-functioning, skip work kind of meltdown.
So I made it two weeks and two days. Pathetic. I'm just feeling pressure to take care of all of our expenses since Mister's job isn't paying as much as we'd hoped. He's having a hard time getting hours since he's the new guy. Low man on the totem pole.
It's just stress. It's not the good kind either. It's the yucky, give-you-grey-hair stress. Normally, I handle stress 3 different ways.
1 - Eating.
2 - Shopping.
3 - Socializing.
1 - I'm kinda bummed out about my weight so this is not an option.
2 - We aren't making enough money to finance any fun shopping trips.
3 - I HAVE NO FRIENDS IN THIS CITY YET... And I've been too busy working to make any... but before that I wasn't meeting anyone because I didn't have a job. Are we seeing the cycles here?
And last night I had my first overwhelming feeling of "OMG. I'm almost 30 and I've done nothing with my life. I can't believe I'm not settled into a career path. I don't have my master's. I am making $12 an hour. I made more than this in college. My life has peaked already."
I've gotta have a major attitude check if I'm going to adapt to this transition. I need to remember what I'm grateful for. I need to remember that I don't have to spend money to be happy. I need to remember that exercise can be a great decompressor of the giant demands that life makes and will help me reach my goal. You don't need a nap, Nanette. You need a nice long walk around the neighborhood.
We are humans. We have an incredible capacity for coping and adaptation. That's why we're biologically one of the most successful mammals on earth. So it's time to evaluate and trim the fat (literal and figurative). It's time to get back on the job hunt even though I'm already doing full-time temp. Let's see if I can get into a nice locally owned company as a front desk manager/receptionist/catch-all for $17 an hour that also has nice health benefits (a girl can dream, right?!) That's what I want for our little house.
If not, we can squeeze by with what I'm making and I can push to get into the TV place full-time afterwards if they'll have me.
You know... if there is one lesson that the universe keep slapping my face with... it's PATIENCE YOUNG GRASSHOPPER. I want it to all be good RIGHT NOW. I don't want to wait and see what happens. I want to rest assured that our needs are taken care of.
Oh and this week I got to pet a llama. Photos soon.
Meanwhile at the Chevy dealership it's F*** this and F*** that! and "I don't know what's worse, the Italians or the Gypsies." I mean, so much of it is absolutely offensive and biggoted. But also hilarious when you take two steps back from the situation and watch it like TV.
Then Dr. G... oh the doctor... she's pulling her end of month crap again. Where she tries not to pay me and I have to get all huffy. Soon we'll have a confrontation, she'll pay me like... 2 weeks late and we'll continue in this little cloud of tension until the contract ends. Because it doesn't seem like she's going to fire me because I do have a lot of specific knowledge regarding her accounts. And I'm not going to quit because I feel obligation to see all of my contracts through.
I hit meltdown yesterday when I found out that Dr. G was trying to hide payments from me (my paycheck is dependant on the payments, I get 5%). I'm working 7 days a week. I come home from my jobs with their regular hours and I sit down and do 2 -3 hours of billing, while Mister makes dinner and keeps me company. I wind up with a good 2 hours of "Nanette Time" each night before I have to go to bed... because without sleep, I will really meltdown. Like non-functioning, skip work kind of meltdown.
So I made it two weeks and two days. Pathetic. I'm just feeling pressure to take care of all of our expenses since Mister's job isn't paying as much as we'd hoped. He's having a hard time getting hours since he's the new guy. Low man on the totem pole.
It's just stress. It's not the good kind either. It's the yucky, give-you-grey-hair stress. Normally, I handle stress 3 different ways.
1 - Eating.
2 - Shopping.
3 - Socializing.
1 - I'm kinda bummed out about my weight so this is not an option.
2 - We aren't making enough money to finance any fun shopping trips.
3 - I HAVE NO FRIENDS IN THIS CITY YET... And I've been too busy working to make any... but before that I wasn't meeting anyone because I didn't have a job. Are we seeing the cycles here?
And last night I had my first overwhelming feeling of "OMG. I'm almost 30 and I've done nothing with my life. I can't believe I'm not settled into a career path. I don't have my master's. I am making $12 an hour. I made more than this in college. My life has peaked already."
I've gotta have a major attitude check if I'm going to adapt to this transition. I need to remember what I'm grateful for. I need to remember that I don't have to spend money to be happy. I need to remember that exercise can be a great decompressor of the giant demands that life makes and will help me reach my goal. You don't need a nap, Nanette. You need a nice long walk around the neighborhood.
We are humans. We have an incredible capacity for coping and adaptation. That's why we're biologically one of the most successful mammals on earth. So it's time to evaluate and trim the fat (literal and figurative). It's time to get back on the job hunt even though I'm already doing full-time temp. Let's see if I can get into a nice locally owned company as a front desk manager/receptionist/catch-all for $17 an hour that also has nice health benefits (a girl can dream, right?!) That's what I want for our little house.
If not, we can squeeze by with what I'm making and I can push to get into the TV place full-time afterwards if they'll have me.
You know... if there is one lesson that the universe keep slapping my face with... it's PATIENCE YOUNG GRASSHOPPER. I want it to all be good RIGHT NOW. I don't want to wait and see what happens. I want to rest assured that our needs are taken care of.
Oh and this week I got to pet a llama. Photos soon.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
TV Guide
So this new job is the most redundant and mind numbing thing I have ever done. The company is a TV statistics company pretty much.
Simply put, my job is to compare 3 different TV guides and make sure the title, episode, date and time are correct. The guides are in different formats. And we check each day 3 times - a day in advance, a day in review and then another check by a different team member. Each team member is given 30 - 50 channels/clients to review daily. Then you do the third check for someone else's channels.
What this job does is feeds ACCURATE information about what was on to different TV stations so they can overlay data like viewers, cost, advertising with our statistics and see how they coordinate. We work for both national companies and local stations. I am always so pleased to see something like "Logan, Utah" on my list or "Chubbuck, ID." It increases my interest in the job 1000-fold for the briefest moment.
I did NOT know this job existed. I thought they just got viewer stats from somewhere like we get stats from blogs and they figured the rest out on their own. But I guess that's not accurate enough for the billion dollar industry that is television. Heh.
I'm not melting down over my work hours yet. I'm melting down over how little they are paying. I have interviewed all my fellow staff members. I'm getting $12 per hour as a temp. The company hires entry level at $15. So I may get an instant raise if I can handle continuing after the contract is over. They are also very generous about paid time off/vacation/national holidays and the insurance is pretty epic. It would definitely pay for lapband. It covers acupuncture and chiropractic. If it doesn't, I will be shocked.
But I don't have to worry about that decision until the contract ends in another 2 months and 3 weeks.
Still working for Dr. G. Still struggling with team-wide communication. But ultimately, we've ironed out another $10,000 in the last month or so. Some of that is my work. Some of that is my office manager's work. Some of that is insurance payment that finally came through. Unfortunately, Dr. G just signed another loan because her build out is going to cost an additional $150k. So she's feeling the financial pinch and taking it out on the rest of the staff. I'm billing for work already done. My contribution to expanding the practice is trying not to piss anyone off. heh.
The Chevy dealership is golden. I am finding out a little bit more about things like management style here. The sales team is ruled with an iron, fear-motivated fist. However, the admin team is absolutely amazing, calm, but motivated, very Matter-of-fact.
Health-wise, things are going better. My ankle is healing. I'm 90% walking like normal. The EKG is $250 for the appetite suppressant meds and then they'll give me a 22% "full payment courtesy." Can't say discount in healthcare.
We'll see what this next week brings. More updates then.
Simply put, my job is to compare 3 different TV guides and make sure the title, episode, date and time are correct. The guides are in different formats. And we check each day 3 times - a day in advance, a day in review and then another check by a different team member. Each team member is given 30 - 50 channels/clients to review daily. Then you do the third check for someone else's channels.
What this job does is feeds ACCURATE information about what was on to different TV stations so they can overlay data like viewers, cost, advertising with our statistics and see how they coordinate. We work for both national companies and local stations. I am always so pleased to see something like "Logan, Utah" on my list or "Chubbuck, ID." It increases my interest in the job 1000-fold for the briefest moment.
I did NOT know this job existed. I thought they just got viewer stats from somewhere like we get stats from blogs and they figured the rest out on their own. But I guess that's not accurate enough for the billion dollar industry that is television. Heh.
I'm not melting down over my work hours yet. I'm melting down over how little they are paying. I have interviewed all my fellow staff members. I'm getting $12 per hour as a temp. The company hires entry level at $15. So I may get an instant raise if I can handle continuing after the contract is over. They are also very generous about paid time off/vacation/national holidays and the insurance is pretty epic. It would definitely pay for lapband. It covers acupuncture and chiropractic. If it doesn't, I will be shocked.
But I don't have to worry about that decision until the contract ends in another 2 months and 3 weeks.
Still working for Dr. G. Still struggling with team-wide communication. But ultimately, we've ironed out another $10,000 in the last month or so. Some of that is my work. Some of that is my office manager's work. Some of that is insurance payment that finally came through. Unfortunately, Dr. G just signed another loan because her build out is going to cost an additional $150k. So she's feeling the financial pinch and taking it out on the rest of the staff. I'm billing for work already done. My contribution to expanding the practice is trying not to piss anyone off. heh.
The Chevy dealership is golden. I am finding out a little bit more about things like management style here. The sales team is ruled with an iron, fear-motivated fist. However, the admin team is absolutely amazing, calm, but motivated, very Matter-of-fact.
Health-wise, things are going better. My ankle is healing. I'm 90% walking like normal. The EKG is $250 for the appetite suppressant meds and then they'll give me a 22% "full payment courtesy." Can't say discount in healthcare.
We'll see what this next week brings. More updates then.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
More Pee, More Jobs..
I got another phone call this week. I went and peed in another cup. I have another job. My work week has filled up. But the projected budget looks amazing.
I will be working 7 days a week.
Mon - Fri for a data entry/TV statistic company on a 3 month temp contract.
Sat - Sun for the Chevy dealership permanently
Mon - Fri for Dentist but only an hour or so per day until March.
Dentist - $1000 per month.
Chevy - $519 per month.
Data Entry - $1440 per month.
Yeah, I'll probably meltdown at some point. Maybe the dentist will even terminate the contract early? Or I may terminate the data entry position early? Or I may just love it all and let myself calm down and let time wash over me while I concentrate on not being a fatty. I did 3 weeks of no day off in NY and I was on my own. Now I have Mister who will help with dishes and laundry and the odds and ends that get left behind so maybe I won't feel the pressure of everything piling up while I'm otherwise preoccupied.
I had a Doc visit today. Just renewing birth control and establishing that I would like to be considered for bariatric surgery (lapband) early next year. They insist you have a certain time frame of paperwork. She suggested some appetite suppressant drug that I haven't properly researched yet. But I'm into it. I'll try whatever that can assist me with behavioral reconditioning.
Granted... I won't be able to go back for 3 months because of my work schedule. But the doc can call in a prescription if my tests come back okay today. Just gotta determine that my heart is good. Which it is... I have excellent internal stats... aside from the F _ A _ T. It looks like I will have to take a partial shift off for an EKG before she'll put me on the suppressant.
Mister and I have been prepping for this whole 3 month thing by dividing up chores, creating a calendar, buying tupperware for lunches, buying ingredients for lunches. It's going to be an adventure. I am choosing to look at this as "going to school" each day. School they pay me for and that the work is kinda redundant and pretty easy.
I've gotta come up with a project I can do on the Chevy weekends though. It was so slow last weekend that there was hardly any action in my position. I've been promised that will change tomorrow. It will pick up. More phones to answer. "Hello! Thank you for calling. How may I direct your call?"
Can I tell you how much I love that my responsibility is just putting the calls to the people with the answers? I don't even have to KNOW the answers. Just hand them off to Sales, Office, Service Dept or Finance. EASY. (she says... without knowing the hell about to rain down on her.) But really, I suspect this job is just way easier than I thought it would be! Hurrah!
More soon, but for now... Let's see how long it takes before MELTDOWN!!! Any bets?
XO,
Nanette
I will be working 7 days a week.
Mon - Fri for a data entry/TV statistic company on a 3 month temp contract.
Sat - Sun for the Chevy dealership permanently
Mon - Fri for Dentist but only an hour or so per day until March.
Dentist - $1000 per month.
Chevy - $519 per month.
Data Entry - $1440 per month.
Yeah, I'll probably meltdown at some point. Maybe the dentist will even terminate the contract early? Or I may terminate the data entry position early? Or I may just love it all and let myself calm down and let time wash over me while I concentrate on not being a fatty. I did 3 weeks of no day off in NY and I was on my own. Now I have Mister who will help with dishes and laundry and the odds and ends that get left behind so maybe I won't feel the pressure of everything piling up while I'm otherwise preoccupied.
I had a Doc visit today. Just renewing birth control and establishing that I would like to be considered for bariatric surgery (lapband) early next year. They insist you have a certain time frame of paperwork. She suggested some appetite suppressant drug that I haven't properly researched yet. But I'm into it. I'll try whatever that can assist me with behavioral reconditioning.
Granted... I won't be able to go back for 3 months because of my work schedule. But the doc can call in a prescription if my tests come back okay today. Just gotta determine that my heart is good. Which it is... I have excellent internal stats... aside from the F _ A _ T. It looks like I will have to take a partial shift off for an EKG before she'll put me on the suppressant.
Mister and I have been prepping for this whole 3 month thing by dividing up chores, creating a calendar, buying tupperware for lunches, buying ingredients for lunches. It's going to be an adventure. I am choosing to look at this as "going to school" each day. School they pay me for and that the work is kinda redundant and pretty easy.
I've gotta come up with a project I can do on the Chevy weekends though. It was so slow last weekend that there was hardly any action in my position. I've been promised that will change tomorrow. It will pick up. More phones to answer. "Hello! Thank you for calling. How may I direct your call?"
Can I tell you how much I love that my responsibility is just putting the calls to the people with the answers? I don't even have to KNOW the answers. Just hand them off to Sales, Office, Service Dept or Finance. EASY. (she says... without knowing the hell about to rain down on her.) But really, I suspect this job is just way easier than I thought it would be! Hurrah!
More soon, but for now... Let's see how long it takes before MELTDOWN!!! Any bets?
XO,
Nanette
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Photo Update!
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| Just the downtown area. I love the contrast of nature, space, sunshine and colonization. Dear New York friends, remember what sidewalks look like when they aren't spattered with black gum spots? |
 |
| Out for a little cappuccino. Still haven't found the replacement for Mister's favorite espresso bean back home. |
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| Anyone can eat here! |
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| "serving the american dream" didn't work out too well. Now the american dream is for lease. |
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| work work work work - selfies at work. |
Saturday, September 6, 2014
You're Looking At Her...
Who is the local Chevrolet's new weekend receptionist?
Yup... You're looking at her. I passed my pee test (all that studying paid off?) and I start tomorrow... even though I don't get trained until Wednesday.
I was also able to get in touch with my dentist for my billing job and I hate the job about 75% less now. We have established a communication plan so I'm not battling the terrifying Manhattan parents without support.
Also... in the first week I've earned half of what I earned last month doing that billing job.
Things are looking up. I feel like I can breathe. I don't function well being unemployed.
I am so excited to be out of the house on a regular basis... talking to people aside from Mister and the cashiers at Costco, Harbor Freight and Trader Joe's. I am also excited to pick up the social dynamic of Portland. People are friendlier than Manhattan, but less likely to tell you about their grandkids or their personal problems like in Idaho - no offense Idahoans, I find it absolutely charming. Juts a different balance.
I did another interview today for a commercial refrigeration company. They are 8 months behind on paperwork (yay.) and I am a shoe-in, but won't know for another week. They may pick a different person. That means they picked the wrong person. I'm the queen of catch up, the queen of fast tracking new organizational systems. Observe, Assess, Make 10 lists, Cross things off the lists and Schedule routine tasks.
So... Commercial refrigeration company... if you're reading, I would like to apply some positive peer pressure and encourage you to make a smart choice for yourself.
At home, we got another chair! It is a lovely chaise lounge in a tweedy cream and cool beige color with little buttons that make it tufty. Mister and I each have our respective thrones. Tables next... Tables and bookshelves. And maybe that painting from my college apartment by Jordan Clinger. You should check him out... good colors, sense of humor... especially "The price is righteous" and "Pepto Fett." I've had my eye on them for a while, but not the disposable income and plus, I already have one made for me. I'll post a pic if I can get mom to ship the painting to me.
XO,
Nanette
Yup... You're looking at her. I passed my pee test (all that studying paid off?) and I start tomorrow... even though I don't get trained until Wednesday.
I was also able to get in touch with my dentist for my billing job and I hate the job about 75% less now. We have established a communication plan so I'm not battling the terrifying Manhattan parents without support.
Also... in the first week I've earned half of what I earned last month doing that billing job.
Things are looking up. I feel like I can breathe. I don't function well being unemployed.
I am so excited to be out of the house on a regular basis... talking to people aside from Mister and the cashiers at Costco, Harbor Freight and Trader Joe's. I am also excited to pick up the social dynamic of Portland. People are friendlier than Manhattan, but less likely to tell you about their grandkids or their personal problems like in Idaho - no offense Idahoans, I find it absolutely charming. Juts a different balance.
I did another interview today for a commercial refrigeration company. They are 8 months behind on paperwork (yay.) and I am a shoe-in, but won't know for another week. They may pick a different person. That means they picked the wrong person. I'm the queen of catch up, the queen of fast tracking new organizational systems. Observe, Assess, Make 10 lists, Cross things off the lists and Schedule routine tasks.
So... Commercial refrigeration company... if you're reading, I would like to apply some positive peer pressure and encourage you to make a smart choice for yourself.
At home, we got another chair! It is a lovely chaise lounge in a tweedy cream and cool beige color with little buttons that make it tufty. Mister and I each have our respective thrones. Tables next... Tables and bookshelves. And maybe that painting from my college apartment by Jordan Clinger. You should check him out... good colors, sense of humor... especially "The price is righteous" and "Pepto Fett." I've had my eye on them for a while, but not the disposable income and plus, I already have one made for me. I'll post a pic if I can get mom to ship the painting to me.
XO,
Nanette
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Huntress Log: Moondate 9/2/2014
Okay... I'm still jobless. Disappointing. But not conquering... I had a really great "working interview" with a dental office last week with MUCH positive feedback. Everyone was very kind and the work day went by in a flash. They paid me $125 for my time. Which was also nice.
I am also going to go pee in a cup for a car dealership tomorrow morning. Hurrah! Pee! It is a tiny job offer where I'd only have to go in on Saturday and Sunday. It sounds low key, low responsibility. Which would be kind of nice since I have had enough of that for the last 2 years. I'm ready for a smaller bite of the life sandwich.
 |
| Game: Apple Juice or Urine? Don't let the apple fool you. |
I keep sending emails and going on interviews and getting responses. There have been a couple instances of knowing the job would be mine if I took it. But unlike New York, I'm not going to take the first one that offers. I am going to look at the work to pay ratio and the atmosphere... and see if I can actually stay happy in a place for a good year or two (at the least) and not get all antsy pantsy.
Mister and I went berry picking on Friday. During which I promptly twisted my ankle in a gopher hole. It took all of 10 minutes and then rest of the pick I was gimping around with my bucket. We still managed to get a hefty amount of berries... and pears and tomatoes and honey. They had a nice little farm stand as well - for all your produce needs. We've been living in a very delicious house for the past few days. We are going back for more berries on Friday, hopefully, so we can "freeze them for the winter." (Awww... my city boy is talking like a farmer!)
We have also been working on a bedframe. Okay... I sanded a bit one day and he has taken it over from there. Soon we will have our SECOND piece of furniture - first being a slipper accent chair.
I am hereby swearing that if/when I get this dental office job... We are going to a thrift store and buying three things...
1) a book shelf.
2) a table.
3) a bicycle for this lady.
My kingdom for some furniture!!!
Thems the haps.
Nanette N.
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