Social, social, soccer...

Three weeks into the new job and things are good.  Figured out most of the commute issues, went to the company picnic, know the Fourth of July holiday schedule, and even get to catch a few minutes of the Beautiful Game at lunch and during breaks.  I am cursing the person who stocks the snack bins...they put in real size candy bars rather than snack size--and its the good stuff, too.

Today, was sitting in a meeting when someone mentioned a commercial from a few years back...and I couldn't believe I'd never seen it!

This past week was more social than most.  A friend had a mini-BBQ while we watched the US beat Ghana. I've decided I will need to be selective about which games I watch in person--this is a marathon, not a sprint!

Then I got to watch someone close to me give her first political speech!

Flash mob dance and bacon

Started the new job on Monday.  Everyone seems nice.  They are easing me into it and actually walking me through things, rather than doing the sink-or-swim method that some lawyers prefer. They stock the kitchen with fruit ... and candy bars, full size candy bars.  Damn them!

After work on Tuesday, I went for a “flash mob” dance lesson.  A friend was getting proposed to this weekend and I somehow agreed to be a part of the flash mob dance intro.  One of those things to add to and check off the bucket list. J

This weekend was a bit crazy:  street fest with former coworker on Fri., brunch with a different former coworker on Sat., editing novella—and somewhere in there I’m supposed to practice my dance moves for ... the flash mob engagement dance for Sunday (the things I never thought I would say).

Saturday brunch was great.  Great talk with friend, and in addition to our meal, we tried their bacon donut.  It was good!  I’ve tried other bacon donuts and they’re just meeh, but this one was good.  If you are in Chicago, it is at Bakin’ and Eggs (on Lincoln by Belmont and Ashland).  The bacon is under the maple frosting.  And it was a good cake donut (not an airy bland donut).

And World Cup starts in a week!  A beautiful game.

Funemployment Wrap-up: Week 9

Movies watched: To Sir With Love, Maleficent

Books finished:  Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell

Things that I have learned about myself

My natural bedtime is midnight and I wake up at 7:30 am.

I exercise best at 11 am.  I told myself I would get up and go to the gym first thing in the morning, but it never happened.  If I didn’t do it before noon, I likely didn’t go.  If I went at 11, then I exercised for at least 45 minutes, came home, showered, and ate—and actually felt good the rest of the day (not too tired or worn out, and slightly energized).  I’d be back at my desk by 1 and work until 5.

There are a lot of jobs I really don’t want to do.  I’m getting high maintenance as I get older.

I need trees outside my windows or I will watch EVERYTHING that goes on outside—and I’m on the fourth floor.

I like doing one massive day of errands every few weeks, even if it takes hours.  But I need to bring snack bars.

Things I learned about where I live

There are a surprising number of people at home in my building during the day.  There were one or two I knew worked from home, but there were a few people that surprised me.

There is a tamale guy on the corner that arrives at 9 am and normally has sold his supply by 11 am.  I tried them the other day—the cheesy one was spicy but good, but the chicken one didn’t have much filling.

Volunteering

There is a lot going on out there!   Most volunteer events are at night or on the weekend.  The events I found during the day were interesting:  installing mosaics in public places, food pantry setup, after school homework help.

A lot of day-time volunteers are the unemployed or stay-at-home moms.

The job hunt

My favorite job hunting site is Indeed.  It gathers job listings from multiple sites (including company websites rather than only job boards), so I was less likely to miss the good ones.

Don’t give out references until you talk to an actual person.  Some sites try to force an applicant to give references up front, but that can be worked around by simply stating “available at interview” in the online application.

The recruiter you think will help you the most might end up being the most worthless one you meet.  The one you think won’t be much help might find the more interesting jobs. 

The city

There are sculptures and mosaics and murals everywhere.  Once I started the downtown sculpture tour, I started noticing sculptures in places that I pass all the time. 

And there are some incredible views of the skyline that people don’t realize.  I need to remember to stop and look up when in the Loop; the architecture really is amazing close up.

I also realized that the most populous El stops are pretty boring...  The smaller ones have a lot of interesting buildings around them. 

There are a lot of free museums and museum days out there.  I wish that there were more.

Things you don’t think about

You go through more toilet paper when unemployed.  Duh!  But it is one of those things that didn’t occur to me until I realized how I was suddenly running out more often than before.

The dishwasher gets run a lot more. 

You had a lot of wardrobe changes throughout the day.  You get up, put on slouchy, around-the-house clothes.  Then you decide to go to the gym—wardrobe change.  You come home, shower and put your at-home clothes back on again—wardrobe change.  Or there is an afternoon or evening meeting or networking event—wardrobe change.  You meet friends—wardrobe change.  You volunteer—wardrobe change. I mean, it isn’t like you change your clothes ten times in one day, but there was one day I did change outfits about four times before changing for bed.

Funemployment Train Coming to an End: Week 8

Movies watched: Miss Conception, It Had to be You, Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Robe, Indiscreet  Ender’s Game, Heartburn, Going the Distance

Books finished:  The Last Boyfriend by La Nora

Monday

Bi-weekly unemployment report.  Internet log-in wasn’t working—again—but was able to file by phone.  The online version kept hanging there, for over two hours. 

A nice phone interview with a company in the ‘burbs.  In-person interview scheduled for next week. 

Last week I submitted my paralegal CLE’s so I could renew my CRP; the admin cancelled it, but when she “walked me through the correct process” it turns out my original submission was fine, but now I have to resubmit because she CANCELLED it!  GRRR.

Tuesday

WOOOOT!!  I received an offer!  This job will build on what I know.  Fills some gaps in my resume. Professional, but casual environment.  Money is there.  Start June 2.

Wednesday

A friend is out of town, so I went to her apartment to give her cat medicine.  She left Monday.  Yesterday they kinda shrugged and went about their business.  Today, Craigy held me captive today with cuddles and purrs.

Cancelled interview for next week, cause I got a JOB!

Thursday

Received an email from a former coworker.  They need some temp help, so she thought of me.  One of those moments that reaffirms how nice some of my former coworkers really are.

Held hostage by my friend’s cat again today.  He is lonely!

Another friend is in from out of town.  We went to the Chicago Grinder and Pizza Company for dinner.  Pizza pot pie (but not).   I’ve decided that this is where Chicagoans should bring New Yorkers for pizza—just to avoid the New York vs Chicago pizza argument.  It is neither!

Friday

Good visit with friend.  Had brunch at my favorite diner; my friend had hazelnut crepes and I had an omelet with a side of pancakes (instead of toast).  I am NOT a fan of pancakes, but these are GOOD!  (They also make fantastic French toast, but I can only eat so much;)

X-MEN!  I rarely seem movies on opening day, but I love this franchise.  They have the action for action/adventure fans, but also have developed great characters and create thought-provoking plots.  And Hugh Jackman is just....  ;)

Saturday

Final volunteer day for the mosaic project. Grouted it--blue, green, black, and red grout, depending on the image being grouted.

Okay, TMI but I am one of those people who has to wash my hair every day or I look like I haven’t washed it in a month.  It almost looks wet after the 24 hour mark.  With the resurgence of dry shampoo, I purchased some (in powder form) from Lush.  I’ve gotten the hang of it and managed to go two entire days without washing my hair and I went out in public.  This seems petty, but for me it is a major victory!  It meant I didn’t have to shower before going to work on the mosaic project and could save the shower for afterward—after getting blue and black grout in my hair.

I am stuffed!  Friend’s deck opening...  Great food and lots of belly laughs.  Welcome summertime!

The Life of the Funemployed: Week 7

Contacted by HR/recruiters: 2

Interviews scheduled: 1

Interviews/recruiter meetings attended: 1 in person, 1 phone

Gym visits: 1

Movies watched: Becket

Books finished:  Into the Deep by JAK

Monday

Last week it was a struggle to find five jobs to apply for.  This week, I found seven on Monday morning.  And a recruiter called to ask if she could forward my resume to a potential temporary employer.  And an in-house recruiter emailed wanting to set up a time to discuss a position.  And I have a second interview with a branding and marketing company later this week.

Tuesday

Roomie made ham and cheese biscuits for breakfast! 

Noticed we have finches this year; or maybe they are here every year and I am just noticing because I am home. They are male and female yellow finches.

I had an early telephone call with that company that contacted me last week—about the general counsel position.  I asked a few questions, then clarified that they really do need a lawyer if they want legal advice. Paralegals can’t give legal advice!

Volunteered for an after school homework help.  Not sure how much help I was, but had a long conversation with a kid about books. 

Wednesday

Had a second interview with a brand and marketing company.  They even provided lunch. I think I passed the personality test, but I feel like I didn’t ask enough questions.  I like the atmosphere—business casual, but professional.  Open floorplan, but real desk space.

Went to Target and Marianos.  Used my coupons.  Saved money, except I forgot the kitty litter in the bottom rack of the shopping cart.  GRRRR.  I called, but they couldn’t refund over the phone; I can go in person and either get a replacement or refund.  That will be Friday (just too tired to face it today).  If that is successful, then between coupons and 5% off, I saved about $15 (the receipt says $25, but I think they calculate in items on sale, too).

Thursday

All day paralegal CLE seminar. The class about the unauthorized practice of law confirmed my conversation with the company that contacted me about the general counsel positions—when creating a legal department, hire a lawyer before you hire a paralegal!  (Someone with a paralegal background can be hired for other departments, but not in a position that requires oversight by an attorney!)

Friday

Mom called with a family issue.  Submitted my CLE’s from yesterday so they will be applied to by paralegal credentials.  Received two emails for phone interviews for next week. 

I liked working for a nonprofit, so I like to check the job listings for nonprofit orgs.  I’ve decided that Taproot’s listings are annoying because they are VOLUNTEER positions for long-term projects, and they are the same five positions they post almost daily!  Wouldn’t posting those every week or two be enough?  It is really annoying to see all those volunteer listing clogging up the job board when searching for a paid position. 

Saturday

Volunteer mosaic project continued.  They finished a lot of it in the past two weeks, so spent time filling in the blanks—where large spaces could be filled with small tiles.  The artist who designed this is a junior in high school; she was also helping with the mosaic and was so excited to see something she designed brought to fruition.

Then first street fest of the season!  May Fest...and Hairbangers Ball.  Their set was more heavy metal this year.  Last year’s set was probably their best yet because they chose more universally known songs, but this year's set is still better than two years ago -- they sang a bunch of songs nobody knew.  Anyway, I also discovered that as street fests are trending towards canned beer, I can look for canned hard cider—that tastes the same regardless of can or bottle.  (Canned beer is why I didn't like beer in college.)

Back on the Funemployment train: Week 6

Sites visited: Museum of Science and Industry, Jackson Park

Movies watched: The World Without End, Avengers, A Good Woman, The Turning Point, Stuck by Lightening, Our Very Own, Adore

Books finished:  Running Hot by JAK, A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz

Monday

Filed my bi-weekly unemployment certification.  The online system wasn’t working, so I used the phone system instead.  Just as easy.  But now I need to figure out why the online system wouldn’t let me in! I like being able to save my answers as proof that I filed and WHAT I filed.

Watching the Good Wife last night, it occurred to me that NOW would be a time I wouldn’t mind being called for jury duty.  Of course, I’ve now jinxed myself, and I’ll get called as soon as I get a job. 

Several weeks back I realized that I barely remember visiting the Museum of Science and Industry; I only have a vague recollection of the big giant heart.  So I looked up the schedule and found a free admission day, so guess what day I went.    I trekked down there (El to Loop, then Metra south to Hyde Park).  My favorite parts were the simulated tornado and the Tesla electric charge (released every half hour).  I also liked watching the baby chicks hatch.

 

I tend to have a two hour limit at museums, so once I was done, I wandered through Jackson Park, which is where the museum is located.  I wandered south through a meadow, past a small harbor, a driving range, and through a soccer field—I saw a glimmering statue in the distance.  Can I say, this statue is definitely on Chicago’s list of ugly statues!

Continued the ramble around through a bird and butterfly sanctuary (lots of birds, no butterflies visible), and onto the Osaka Japanese Garden.  I’m adding this garden to my list of favorite places in Chicago.  Peaceful and picturesque—and a surprise where I wasn’t expecting it.

Tuesday

Job search.  Followed up on one or two things.

Then went on an El ramble.  I’m going to see what interesting pictures I can get of or around the Brown line El stops.  I may even work on other El lines, should this experiment be successful.  Here are a few favorite pics from this week’s ramble.

 

I watched The Turning Point today.  I’d seen bits and pieces of this movie before, but never all the way through.  Watching Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine whack each other on the ass as they fight is just too funny!  And a young Mikhail Barishnikov...yumm!

Wednesday

Had lunch and dinner with Mom and Dad.  Got a pedicure with Mom;)  First one in over a year, so much needed.  Took their dog for a walk...she’s strong for such a small beast.

Arrived home to find two emails re jobs.  One is for a second round of interviews...over lunch.  They are getting fancy schmancy!  The other appears to have a recruiter who may not understand the difference between a lawyer and paralegal—or she is a poor communicator because it sounds like she wants to talk to me about a position as general counsel (which they have posted on their website).  Maybe she meant a position to support their new general counsel (which is NOT posted on their website)?

And if you think I exaggerate about the litter situation in my ‘hood, here is what I saw today.  Wrapped meat!  Okay, it likely fell out of someone’s grocery bag, but still!

Thursday

This week’s volunteer event was sorting food for a food pantry in Lakeview.  It wasn’t hard, but harder than you’d think.  First I had to help unload the delivery of produce, meat, bread, and other more “fresh” items donated by stores.  Then sorted through to batch things by category (ex. all the apples together) and check expiration dates.  Need to find a food pantry in my neighborhood, but the two I found don’t seem to answer their phone.

Was on Twitter and randomly responded to someone’s Tweet.  That person responded back.  A third person inserted herself to ask a question—one I didn’t quite get where it was coming from—only to realize I’d been Tweeting with the author of The Outsiders. Face/desk.

Friday

Errands.

Late Wednesday I received an email from one company asking me to come back for a second interview.  Woot!  They never gave an exact date, just said “early next week.”  I responded, then waited all of Thursday to find out what day.  No response.  So by 11 am on Friday, I left a brief message just checking to make sure she’d received my response. I’m trying to balance being that over-eager applicant with the fact that it is Friday when people like to leave early—and I want to make sure they don’t think I blew them off.  She seemed a little confused as to why I left the message.  Anyway, date schedule.

Had a dowager countess moment this week.  “Weekend?  What is a weekend?”  When you aren’t on a set work schedule, the days do tend to run together.

For dinner, Little Goat with L.

Bad funemployment planning: Week 5

I’ve found this weekly blog journal kinda interesting.  When I started, I didn’t know how much I would have to write about, but find that there is normally something—either an event or a thought—for each day. Whether anyone else finds this interesting or not is a different story. ;)

I think I’m going to go a little Bridget Jones now and add weekly stats.

Gym visits: 2

Movies watched: Jobs, Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen

• Monday

 About a week and a half ago, I applied for two jobs posted by companies very similar to the one I just worked for.  Considering that industry is just picking up in Chicago, it isn’t as if there are a ton of people with my background and I should have gotten a call to chat with each recruiter—even if I didn’t get a real interview.  So far, I’ve only heard back from one and it was an auto-response saying they weren’t interested.  They still have the job posted (in fact, they just reposted it on one site), so it isn’t as if they found the perfect person yet.  WTF!!  Is it delusional if I tell myself that they didn’t call because I may be overqualified?

One of the items on my to-do list is checking my credit report.  Sigh...my mom’s info got combined with mine, so spent time on the phone fixing that!  The guy was nice and it took about 20 minutes total, so it could have been a lot worse.  The guy told me five times that, going forward, I should use my full name in order to reduce confusion—even though I’ve been doing that since before I started my credit history and my mom has been doing it for almost as long.  But at least he was trying to be helpful.  No matter how much you want to honor someone else when naming a child, don’t name it after someone who is alive—it confuses computers when people have the same first and last name!

Then met L. for dinner.  When you can actually go to happy hour, it is pretty cheap! Including tip, $15 for drink, small dinner, and dessert.  The waitress probably didn’t like us ‘cause we were talking rather than drinking, but ...

• Tuesday

Admin day. Job interview “thank you” follow-ups. Filling out recruiter forms. Street cleaning signs went up this week, so I kept an eye out for a better parking spot—got it! (Seems trivial, but it is important!)  Reported graffiti on neighbor’s property—and this is not our usually tagging...wonder what it means?  Moved editing website to Weebly—will be a better format in the long run, especially for blogging and stuff.

Then went to Greehouse for a series of short plays.  One of my friends directed one of the shorts.

•  Wednesday

More admin stuff.  Set up payments for things due on the first...Blurg!  Wrote a post for Thriftista. Went to gym (and noticed that the graffiti I’d reported yesterday is already gone—WOOT graffiti blasters!). Watched cat sleep (she’s just cute!). 

Decided that the chore I was going work on today was cleaning my room—not a "pick up clothes" clean, but go through the boxes in the closest and vacuum deep clean.  Things I found:  a VHS tape of Fifth Element, all my dance and sport gear, face lotion that I thought I had lost, and cat fur.  What was missing: in my financial box, I couldn’t find my 2010 and 2011 tax folders.  I knew where to look and found them pretty quickly, but for someone who is organized (without being anal), that was a shock!  I hate it when I am not as organized as I think I am.

Sample edited for a potential editing client.

• Thursday

Street cleaning, street cleaning, how much I love you!  Street cleaning, street cleaning, how much I missed you (at least the first time each year)!  Makes for horrible parking for two days every five weeks, but it makes the neighborhood soooo much nicer.  We pick up crushed milk bottles and plastic bottles and other really strange things out of the gutter all year long, but street cleaning does a much better job.

I’ve also realized I’ve become that person who reports graffiti and abandoned cars on the street.  Good or bad?

Had two recruiter meetings—one handles out-of-the-ordinary legal positions!  That’s who I need on my side! :)   Then had coffee with a friend.  I noticed that there are some cherry blossom-like trees along the brown line.  Are they cherry blossom trees?

 

• Friday

Realized I didn’t schedule any volunteering this week; bad move!  Cabin fever... Hit the Chicago Cares calendar and found a mosaic project for tomorrow and made sure I signed up for something at least once a week through May (and a few events in June and July—if they are the ones I really like).  I can always remove myself from the list later, if needed.

Went through the job listings—AGAIN.  Applied for one I saved for a nonprofit; when I looked more into the organization, I think I really like their concept/culture, so let’s see if they like me!  And one of the recruiters I met a few weeks back called with a potential job; very preliminary, she’ll send more details next week so we can determine if there is any chance I’d be a fit.  Needed that call today!

•  Saturday

I thought something was wrong with me all week.  I’d been sleeping to 8 or 830, which I normally don’t do.  Today, up at 7—and guess what.  The sun was finally out today!  I forget how the sun (or lack of) impacts me. 

Volunteered today to help install a mosaic at an El stop.  Work was mainly being done by teens.  One complained about feeling old (as we all bent and crouched and reached); made a few of us "older" volunteers laugh!  Discussed TV shows with them; when one mentioned she liked Buffy, I asked if she had watched Veronica Mars. I mean, if I'm going to encourage teenage girls to watch TV shows, they should be ones with witty, intelligent heroines.  High schoolers aren’t too young for Veronica Mars, right?  They talk about sex, but that’s on everything these days.  Right?!

Here is the section I worked on, the blue edging along the mirrored tiles.

So, one of the jobs I interviewed a few weeks back sent me a letter (not an email), an actual letter of rejection.  It was a very nice and polite letter, but I don’t know if/when I ever got a letter in the mail in response to a job interview/application. Part of me is tempted to keep it.  (Side note: I am amazed at the number of job postings that “expire” within a day or two of being posted.)

As a lark, I’m going to see if there are any movies filming here this summer and if they need extras!