Good and bad news...

What an interesting day...

I kinda sorta got fired and got an email with kinda almost maybe good news about a job.

I had to give my one job an unofficial resignation a week and a half ago because they were planning their annual out-of-town retreat/meeting. Well it's in New Orleans and after a couple of days of playing innocent and putting it off, I finally had to tell the second boss lady that they should not buy me a plane ticket  because I didn't know if I'd still be there at the end of September, and I certainly have no intention of being there for the rest of the year. This was a courtesy. I didn't have to mention anything, but I'm too honest.

That week the head boss lady was out of the office recuperating from a face lift, which is why I had to tell the other lady. I couldn't give her any specifics about anything since I don't have any, but I was very honest and told her I could not keep working 7 days a week without health insurance (mine is up at the end of the month!). So today, the boss lady called me in and in a pretty nice way told me that if I wasn't gonna be around next year, then they should not waste money "training" me and that my last day should be the end of the month. Well, they're not "training" me as it is...I'm scanning and filing right now, for $11 an hour. So that's it. I guess that's me getting "fired" for being nice and telling them I might not be around much longer, even though I haven't given them a two week notice officially.

On a happier note, not 10 minutes before I went into her office, I got an email from a job in Virginia that I had had a phone interview with telling me that they were seriously pursuing my candidacy for the job and would be contacting my references. Well, I know they've already contacted my references because my references told me! I obviously have no idea how many people they're "seriously pursuing" but it still sounds promising. Of course, I believe the next step is an on-campus interview, but I will take it! Especially if they are paying...it'd be like a beach vacation since this job happens to be on the beach! Holla!

So a little good and a little bad...or maybe not so bad? Now I have to figure out what I'm doing once the end of August hits since I lose my house, my insurance and my main job...that's in 14 days!

pleasant days!

So my last official day off was July 10. That's right...a month ago. But this post is not about me complaining again. This post is about how to feel like you have a day off, even when you don't!

On Friday I went up to Boulder with some girls from work to observe an English class and afternoon activity for one of our international groups. This was a group of 15 Japanese girls. Class was cute because it was "American Teen Day" which meant they got to ask some "real" American teens some questions. It was so darn cute when they asked the boys if they had girlfriends or what brands of clothes they like or about their hobbies. After declining an invitation to eat in the cafeteria, we headed down to Pearl Street to find a patio and some cold beverages. What we found was Centro Latin Kitchen and Refreshment Palace. I had some pulled pork tacos with a spicy habanero and jalapeno sauce. Amazing combination of two of my favorite food groups--bbq and Mexican food. It was also beautifully paired with a house Margarita. If anyone has plans to visit me (before I move), then I will take you there! Get excited!

As we were walking back to the car, we noticed a bright pink truck which was converted into a temporary make-up counter where some ladies from Bare Escentuals were giving out free makeovers. Since the next stop in our itinerary was a "Prom" for the Japanese students, we decided that getting our make-up done was absolutely necessary!

Decked out in our fancy make-up and not-quite-as-fancy dresses, we arrived at the gym at CU to find it decorated with streamers, a live band playing, and a dance contest underway! The girls were all dressed up in party dresses that a host mom had collected and altered for them and they were have a great time at their first Prom! Again...so darn cute!

And that was how I spent a whole workday actually having fun and pretending I wasn't at work!

Where in the World??

Denmark, Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, South Dakota, North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts, Washington, Georgia, Oregon, or Minnesota??

Those are all places where I've applied and haven't been rejected yet...I might be moving somewhere near YOU soon!!

Up this week: Interviews for jobs in Kentucky and Virginia!


View Where in the World is Rachel? in a larger map

update!

You'll notice the job application count on the side has significantly changed in the last couple of weeks. Let me tell you a little story about why.

It all starts with the story of a girl who left a great job, moved away from home and went to grad school and amassed a lot of debt...in the middle of a recession. That master's degree qualifies me for jobs more related to what I want to do and that's great, but I have yet to get hired for one. I've got two jobs, one in retail and one is actually related to my desired field...but it's part-time and hourly with no benefits and I am pretty much over-qualified to do the grunt work I have been doing the last few months. Definitely thankful to not be relying on retail work alone, but it does mean I am working 7 days a week in order to get enough hours to pay the bills...including the student loans.

However, I am convinced this story will end happily ever after because I will make it so! In my "free" time I've been filling out job applications like crazy and pouring my little heart out in cover letter after cover letter (luckily I'm able to pretty much use the same letter for every job with a little tweaking). Last week I had a phone interview for a job in South Dakota and should hear if they want me for an in-person interview in the next couple of days. I've got another phone interview next week for a job in Virginia and I'm feeling good about a couple more applications that I'll hopefully hear about this week ! 

Oh, and have I mentioned that my lease and my health insurance are both up at the end of this month? It's crunch time!

bad

I'm a bad blogger. Or maybe just too busy to blog. My last day off was July 10th. Yep, three weeks ago. I have had some "down" time, but I've been using that for job applications. More on that soon...I hope!

more applications

The job search continues. I'm going to start budgeting and I know it's going to be scary, so I'm putting it off. I know what I'm going to find out is that my two part-time jobs will not pay the bills. And so it goes.

As I already mentioned, I actually had the day off and I've spent it having lunch with some friends, doing laundry, and submitting job applications. If you can count productivity based on number of applications, I've been really productive--I should have 5 completed by later tonight and that's on top of the 4 I did on Wednesday and Thursday. Since I'm applying to very similar positions, I've been able to reuse the cover letter which is usually the most time-consuming part of the process.

So if you're in Montana, Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Illinois or Tennessee, think some happy thoughts and I might be moving somewhere near you!

surprise!

At the end of yet another very stressful day at work, someone thought to mention that the office will be closed on Monday for the Fourth of July. Since the holiday is technically on Sunday and we are in the height of super-crazy-business, I hadn't even considered this and definitely never thought to ask. I just got a key to the office this week, so I would've shown up on Monday, let myself in, and worked (in peace) for a couple hours while wondering where everyone was...Glad I know better!

So, even  though I'm actually working at the retail job on Saturday and Sunday (yay for holiday pay!!), I actually get to kind of enjoy the Fourth of July holiday with a vacation day!

Hope everyone enjoys the festivities and fireworks!!