New Job, PS

It's day two of the new job, and it's going well so far. I have a LOT to learn, but it's a great environment and the rest of the staff is very helpful.

One thing I wanted to mention is that I need to put my foot in my mouth a little here...A few weeks ago, I said that Craigslist was the worst way to apply for jobs. At that point, I had applied for over 100 jobs total. 80+ of those were Craigslist ads, and I hadn't heard anything from any of those folks (except the student resource center at an unnamed school, and we all know how that one turned out).

However, this job, this wonderful wonderful "Just Right Job," was the result of my blind response to a Craigslist ad (the ad didn't even include the name of the company!). Yes, I am embarrassed about my rant. Ok, I was wrong. I admit it. There. Done. Universe, you have made a liar out of me!

(thank you)

A Job! It's a Job!

Well friends, I am no longer unemployed! As of tomorrow, Tuesday 7/14/09, I will be the Assistant Studio Manager at Fantasy Studios. I'll be sitting at the reception desk, handling the phones and scheduling recording sessions/equipment use, as well as developing marketing and outreach for the studio (come record at Fantasy!)...and many other tasks as well, I'm sure :-)

It's pretty exciting, and a little scary. I mean, I've spent the last 4.5 months "hiking my own hike" (to steal a phrase from all the backpacking/hiking literature I've been reading), and now I'm officially going back to the world of the working. It's what I want, to be sure, but it's a little weird to think about going back to work. Honestly, I'm still kind of wrapping my head around it. Don't get me wrong - I am VERY excited. Very. Very. Very. But it's a little bit of a shock to the system. Oh yeah, did I mention I found out I got the job at my interview today, and that I start tomorrow? Whee!

Anyway, as I've said, I am very excited about this. For some good articles on the studio click here or here. You can find us on Facebook and MySpace, and if you're looking to record (just about anything) at Northern California's top recording studio, just contact me!

A JobSearch Update: Happy 100 To Me!

It's been a while since my last update, so here are some statistics for you:

• I have been unemployed for exactly 16 weeks.
  
• I have applied for 101 jobs.
  
• I have interviewed with 7 companies, for 9 jobs.
• I have received 2 offers, neither of which I could accept due to too-low pay and lack of healthcare.
• I have started 1 volunteer project, and may soon start another.
  

So, happy 16-week-anniversary to me. I have officially passed the 100-applications mark.

And yet, I feel pretty good. I came to the not-so-startling realization that one of my dearest friends will be free all summer (she's a teacher - duh, Kim), and the 3rd piece of our little friend puzzle will soon be moving up to our neck of the woods (just for weekdays, but still). So while I was really hoping I'd get a job before The Boy leaves for his 2-month adventure quest, I know I'll be able to find ways to fill my days, sans job.

Of course, I am not going to stop looking. I will be on a mission to find That Just Right Job until I land it. In case you are wondering, here is what I am looking for:

• Something where I can have some control of my work day. I don't want to be someone's assistant, chained to my desk, with no real projects of my own (booking travel does not count).
• Preferably, a company that does some sort of creative work. A theatre, art gallery, museum, symphony hall, new media agency, animation studio, etc. Something where even if I am not doing the creating, I can be involved with the creative process.
• OR, a company that does work I can feel good about. An environmental agency, a program working to improve literacy in schools, etc. And no, "Earn $$$ To Save Marriage" doesn't count. Because...
  
• I am looking for full-time, benefited work. That means healthcare, dental, vision. 40 hours a week. No part-time, no internships, no "great opportunity that may eventually lead to a full time job." I'm living on Unemployment Benefits here...I can't take a part-time job, even if it does pay a whole, whopping $10-12 an hour. I would lose Unemployment AND not be able to pay the bills. Hilarious.
  
• I would like to earn enough money to pay my bills. For me, this means ~$40,000 a year. Why are there so many Bay Area companies who want to hire people for under 40k? And who are these people jumping at the chance to work for $32,000 a year? I mean, I could swing $38 if I didn't have to commute...I don't have an extravagant lifestyle or anything, but I like living without ramen and roommates. Sorry. Enough money talk. It's not ladylike.
• I would like to not commute. I have applied for a few jobs that involved a commute of ~45 minutes, and after going to interview, have seriously doubted that I would actually be able to handle it. I commuted for a year and a half at Google, and that wasn't so fun - even with a door-to-door luxury shuttle with wifi. I know a lot of people in the Bay Area think 45 minutes is acceptable, but I just don't want to do it again. So there!
  

Anyway, in the meantime, I'm going to ease up a bit. Stop stressing out. Stop getting emotionally invested in applications. Stop blindly applying for things on Craigslist (I'm convinced this is the worst way to apply), unless I can somehow find a contact who knows someone at the company and can give me a recommendation. Out of those 7 companies at which I interviewed, 6 contacted me because of a personal connection/recommendation. The 7th found me on Monster, but even they only brought me in because the recruiters had also previously worked at Google.

Clearly, Personal Connections Are The Way To Go.

So we'll see. I'm going to try to start focusing more on figuring out what I want to do, and less on just Getting A Job. Luckily, my unemployment pay is enough to keep me afloat, with a little help from my savings account. I think now is as good a time as any to (as my 20-year old sister put it) "Find My Passion."

Any thoughts? ;-)

Job Hunt Update

Things have been a little busy lately, so I thought I'd write a little update about what's been going on in the job hunt category.

Working!

• Temp Job #1: Reading surveys aloud to middle schoolers in Oakland. So far, 2 days worked, 2.5 hours per day, at $10.25 an hour. I should have 3 more days like this next week. It's not too bad; it's actually kind of fun stepping into the middle schoolers' classrooms for an hour or so. I had a great class - everyone wanted to take the survey (they could opt out), and for the most part they were well-behaved and respectful. We'll see how next week goes.
• Temp Job #1: Data Entry of sorts. I am working with 3 Excel spreadsheets to determine which people from the master list should be on the company's fundraising mailing list. Today was my first day, and I stared at Excel, 4 spreadsheets open at once, from 9-5. I was taken out to lunch by a dear friend who works near the office in Downtown Oakland. That was nice. The Excel stuff not so much...hard on the fingers, hard on the eyes. But a job is a job, and it paid a whole $11 an hour. Not much. But it'll have to do for now. We'll see once I get that unemployment check with my temp work wages taken out of it...but for now it's giving me something to do at least.

And now on to This Week (and last week) In Interviews...

• I had a (brief) meeting with the CEO of a Growth Capital Investment Place Of Some Sort. I'm still not entirely sure what they do, and I am pretty sure he just met with me because I'm a friend of a friend of a friend. After our 15 minute conversation, it was pretty clear that there was no job to be had. He said he wasn't looking to hire someone for another few months, and I could tell he wasn't really interested when I realized I have no experience in (or particular passion for) finance. Oh well.
• I sat in on half of a group interview for a position in a school's student resource center. After an hour-long slideshow about the school's mission statement, student body, general environment, etc. it was revealed that the hours for the job include weeknights and weekends. Too bad this was mentioned nowhere on the job description online. Or at any point in time before the end of an hour-long presentation. Oh, and by the end of the one-hour session, the "interview" part hadn't even started. OY. Too bad I had been in San Francisco for 2 hours prior to the "interview" waiting around in between the brief meeting with the CEO (above), so it felt like I had wasted 3 hours of my life, plus 4 hours travel time. I was not in a good mood last night.
• However, I had a great (I thought) interview with a cool media company, also in San Francisco. It's kind of far from BART, and it's only a temporary freelance gig, but it would be doing project coordination and I'd pick up some good skills while working with really cool people making some cool videos and websites and such. No word yet, but we shall see.
• I have a phone interview tomorrow with a company I would love to work for. They're in Berkeley, and they are an arts company, and I don't want to say more to jinx it or whatever...but I like the work they do, and even though it would just be an executive assistant/office manager position, it would be great to work there.
• I got a phone call from a real estate development consulting firm today, thanking me for applying for an executive assistant position that I honestly don't remember applying for. And I keep a spreadsheet with every position I apply for, including date, company, position, and status of application. So I would know. Anyway, the girl describing the position to me is the person who currently has the job and is leaving. She is one of those people who loves being an executive assistant (she told me so), and told me how it's hectic and crazy, he travels constantle. She prepares detailed itineraries and makes sure his presentations are ready when he gets to the other offices. She gets her boss coffee. She was honest, and said this is not the kind of assistant role that could transition into something else, as there isn't really anywhere to go in the company (it's small, and they have no marketing team, etc. and assistants don't become consultants or anything). This is just not the job for me. So I said my thank yous and declined to come in for future interviews.

And that's that so far. I'm tired, and I didn't eat dinner (and I'm only starting to get hungry at 10pm, ugh), and I'm kind of looking forward to a Thursday of grocery shopping and apartment cleaning. And a lovely Memorial Day weekend full of picnics and relaxation.

Wish me luck with the phone interview tomorrow!

A Little Unemployment Update

So, I'm still unemployed. It's been 7 weeks since my last day of work, and I have applied for 43 jobs. Yep. Those 43 job applications have led to interviews with two (count them, two) companies. So far, no job. So...that's the update there.

Being unemployed comes with a weird set of emotional responses. Some days, I feel antsy and restless, like if I don't get a job and start working soon, I'm going to go insane. Some days, I love it. I have the day to myself, I can go to the grocery store when it's totally empty, and I have been keeping up (for the most part) with my apartment-cleaning. Some days, I feel guilty for enjoying the unemployment, but if I'm being honest, I think it's not so bad. This kind of everyday freedom is something I haven't had since before I started preschool, I think. Of course, it was my choice to fill my afternoons and summers with activities, and I loved it. But now I am experiencing this odd situation of having no commitments. No obligations. It's kind of nice.

I mean, obviously I need to get a job. The checks from the state are enough to get me by for a while, but it's not quite enough. And I can't exactly save for retirement this way, not to mention pay for health care. But in the meantime, I'm going to try to keep enjoying this time. I'm going to start exercising (soon, I swear) and try to stay motivated. It's easy to slip into a couch potato routine, but I want to get out and do things - watching TV for hours on end doesn't feel too good at the end of the day.

So...there's my update. Things are plodding along, and it's not amazing, but it could certainly be worse. So far, not bad. And hey, let me know if you have any leads for jobs in the SF Bay Area!

Today's Accomplishment

After receiving some unfortunate job news last night (I didn't get the job I was hoping for), I moped around a bit and cooked a really delicious dinner of salmon, Brussels sprouts and Yukon gold potatoes with The Boy. Not one to sink into negativity, I decided to jump back into productivity mode this morning.

My good friend Dana came over this morning, and helped me to take on a project that has been a LONG time in the making. If you remember, My "No Excuses - You're Unemployed" list had something on it that said "(finally) sort through the box under my keyboard - Erm...this isn't going so well. This is a case of "someone come hang out with me while I do it." I am happy to report that it is done. Finally done. I moved in to this apartment in July of 2007, and this box has been under the keyboard ever since. Seriously. It was the "junk etc." box that was always sort of a catchall for anything I couldn't find a place for - and my keyboard was functioning more as a table, and it was a big mess of a pile. So big thanks to Dana for keeping me company and helping me fill an entire trash bag of junk.

What? There's a keyboard under there?

I think I can hear the angels sighing.

In a fit of motivated homeyness, I took on the project of washing my living room rug. It is actually three small rugs duct-taped together, and cleaning it is a bit of a challenge. Usually I take it outside and shake/brush it out, but that doesn't actually work too well, and today I finally un-duct-taped it (a challenge in and of itself) and threw it in the washer. It's a "jersey shag rug" like this one but in magenta, and says to "spot clean only," but I'm hoping for the best here because spot cleaning was just not doing it. The first two are in the wash right now... fingers crossed!

The No Excuses List Update

On the first day of my Unemployment, I wrote a post about how I planned to use the time. And since I'm hitting the one month mark (my last day at Pixar was one month ago today), I thought I'd check in and update you all on my progress (job-related and otherwise). In the last month, I've applied for 23 jobs and interviewed at 1 company. Yeah, it's tough out there. However, I just had my second round of interviews at said company, and am keeping my fingers crossed. I don't want to jinx it by saying too much, so I'll just say that I'm really excited about the potential in this job, and I hope it works out!

As for the "No Excuses - You're Unemployed" list, here's a little update:

Done:

• give myself a pedicure - Done!
• READ - I am making great use of the library!
• watch more Food Network and try new recipes - Made this great chard recipe, some awesome monchong, and omg the cookies.
• fix my broken shoe rack - You should see the duct tape action.
  
• deal with my "office" area - It's organized and cleaned, and I threw away 2 trash bags full of stuff. Still looking for a free/supercheap file cabinet.
• wash sheets, towels/bathmat, duvet cover - They are fluffy and clean!
  
• re-pot plants - They are re-potted and happy.
  
• take my laptop to the Apple store - Done! Now I just have to wait for my mom to send me the installation CD so I can reinstall the OS. Fun!

Not So Done...

• deep-clean the bathroom - Still procrastinating this one...This morning, I decided it really needs to happy soon though.
  
• (finally) sort through the box under my keyboard - Erm...this isn't going so well. This is a case of "someone come hang out with me while I do it"
  
• bake bread - Haven't had the motivation yet, but maybe this week. I need to pick up some cheap tin bread pans first.
  
• go through and get rid of some books - This still needs to happen...why is it so hard to part with books?
  
• empty the bag-o-snacks - This is embarrassing.
  
• put away bags in living room - Done, mostly.
  
• earthquake straps - This is more intimidating than I thought it would be. Anyone want to help me with it?

So, I've done pretty well so far, but not well enough! Checking in with myself, and through the public publishing of el blog is reminding me that I need to hold myself accountable. So come on, Kim! Kick it into gear! Fight the Unemployment Sloth and Get Things Done!

Good Day! And Updates...

It is a gorgeous day today, and I took a nice long walk down to Kinkos to print 25 copies of my resume for free! On really cool post-consumer content recycled paper! If you, too, are job-hunting, head on down to your local Kinkos! You can select any paper you like, and they'll print up to 25 copies for you. For free!

Anyway, I walked the 1.1 miles to Kinkos, stopping at the dry cleaners to drop off a shirt to be re-hemmed. Round trip, that's 2.2 miles. Oh yeah, exercise. It's not much, but it's something! And it was really nice to be outside. I'll be going out to TJ's later for some groceries. Wish I could walk, but it's just a bit too far. Especially since I'll be getting things like yogurt and meat, which I really don't think would enjoy being walked about in the sunshine for 30 minutes.

Now I am eating leftover Chicken Pomodoro, watching Law and Order: SVU, and doing some job hunting online. Phone call with Twitter tomorrow!

Happy Tuesday, all!

Sunny Disposition

The sun finally came out this afternoon, and with it came my positive attitude! I've been trying to stay positive, and telling myself to think positive, but this afternoon, I am actually feeling positive! Why? I will tell you, in list form (sorry the first point is so long).

1. Dolores at the Sears outlet in Hayward. She is wonderful. Daniel, the other manager, is not wonderful. He told me I could return any unused washer/dryer installation items (sometimes the delivery guys bring stuff) to any Sears store. I specifically asked if I would need to drive to Hayward to return, and he said no. He even said I could return it to the Sears in Oakland. He. Was. Wrong. I went to the Sears in Oakland today, and they said they couldn't take it, that they don't even sell those parts, and that the outlet in Hayward is actually completely separate from the store in Oakland. Sigh. I do not want to drive to Hayward (about 40 minutes away). The super nice manager in Oakland called Hayward (to scold them, presumably), and I said I'd be calling as well. So I called. And Dolores, the most wonderful manager of all time, said (after telling me how she couldn't refund my money, credit my account, etc. without me either bringing or shipping the stuff to the store in Hayward) that she was actually going to be in Berkeley on Saturday, and THEN gave me her cell phone number and said to call her on Saturday. She is going to meet me in Berkeley and pick up the stuff I'm returning. Then she is going to proces the return on Monday and send me a check. That is really nice. I mean, above and beyond nice. Now I'm trying to think of a way to repay her. Maybe I'll make her cookeis or give her a little gift basket or something. And I'm going to find out who her manager is, because she deserves recognition.
2. Per The Boy and Erin's suggestions, I signed up with OfficeTeam. Today, I went to their offices for office skills testing and an interview, which all went very well. In fact, I got a phone call this afternoon, only 2 hours after leaving their offices, telling me they may have something for me!!! It would be a temp job, of course, lasting 3-4 weeks, and I have to go through a phone interview and background check first with the company, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed, because hey - it's a job! Think good thoughts for me!
3. I re-potted my plants. Well, 2 out of 3. I'm not sure if I'm re-potting the 3rd one. But I did it! Cross another thing off the list! Yeah!!! And I discovered the lemon tree in our backyard is practically dripping with lemons! I plucked two of them and will use them tonight (on the fish that The Boy bought us yesterday)!
4. I picked up some volunteer-data-entry papers from an Obama person today - I figure since I have the time, I might as well enter some information to help Team Obama (I'm entering the contact information for volunteers).
   
5. Caitlin and I made uh-mazing cookies last night. There will be a full post about that soon...
6. The sun is shining, and the sky is blue. Such a welcome change from the rain that has been pouring down for days. I know we need the water out here in CA, but I love the sun!

I hope your Wednesdays are going well!

bye bye clouds!

even my little backyard succulent is preening in the sunlight! this is the first time it's ever been green - it's always been brownish/burgundy in color...how exciting!

No Excuses?

So, I have been getting off to a decent start...I would have liked to have accomplished more things from my "No Excuses - You're Unemployed" list by this point, but so far, it's been ok.

I washed the sheets, towels and duvet cover, and I've been reading more. I read A Blistered Kind of Love, about a couple who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail together - Mexico to Canada in around 5 months! The Boy is thinking of doing a 6-week portion of it this summer, and this was one of the books I picked up at the library for him. It sounds crazy to me. Hiking ~20 miles a day every day for even 6 weeks sounds terrifyingly difficult!!! I am now reading The Boleyn Inheritance, the latest in Tudor-related historical fiction from Philippa Gregory. I've read all of her books (except, I just realized, The Other Queen, which I shall read next), and I can't get enough! Love it. Always have.

On the job front, I've applied for 10 jobs (and found out that 3 are either frozen or filled) and registered at 6 job-search-type websites. I'm going into a temp agency tomorrow to get all tested and registered, and hopefully I'll start working soon...

And that's all for now!

Unemployed.

Well, fair readers, I am officially one of the approximately 11.6 million unemployed people in this country. Long story short, department needs changed, my job changed, I was no longer qualified, and now I'm out of a job.

I am receiving a few weeks' pay as a sort of severance, and I'll be applying for unemployment as soon as I receive my last check next week (learned this morning that I can't file for unemployment without that last check, darn!). Luckily, I have a decent emergency fund that will help supplement the unemployment checks until I find a job. It should also help pay for new tires on my car that I'll be needing soon (it's almost time for my next check-up, and the last time I was told "well, next time it'll be time for new tires" - eek!). An emergency fund is one of those things you never think you'll need, but you build it up anyway...and well, now I know why!

I am trying to just stay positive, apply for jobs and use this "time off" to reflect, think, and do some of the things I've been wanting to do but haven't had the time for. In fact, I've made a list. I call it the "No Excuses - You're Unemployed" list. Ta-Da.

• deep-clean the bathroom - it needs to happen.
  
• (finally) sort through the box under my keyboard - it's been there as a junk box since I moved in. a year and a half ago.
• give myself a pedicure - my $15/month splurges may have to be on hold for a while.
  
• READ - I just renewed my library card, and I plan to use it!
  
• bake bread - I want to experiment with new kinds like rosemary or olive
  
• watch more Food Network and try new recipes - I want to go to farmer's markets and Berkeley Bowl, buy cheapish produce and try something new!
  
• fix my broken shoe rack - instead of purchasing a new one, I'm going to hammer it back together and duct tape it. Duct tape fixes everything, right?
• deal with my "office" area - I've gotten some good responses from my post to Apartment Therapy, and I think it's about time I figure out how to make use of this corner of my bedroom.
• go through and get rid of some books - my bookshelves are overflowing, and a lot of the books are ones that I don't read, or don't like, or otherwise just don't really need to have around.
• empty the bag-o-snacks - I have a big bag in my apartment filled with trail mix, crackers, and other kinds of snacks...time to unpack it and find places for all these miscellaneous food items.
• put away bags in living room - there are a few random bags hanging out in the living room that I should really just go through and put away already.
• earthquake straps - I've had these for longer than I care to admit, and I need to attach them to my tall bookshelf and dvd/vhs shelves.
• wash sheets, towels/bathmat, duvet cover - this kind of laundry is the stuff I procrastinate doing because it involves unmaking and making the bed...not really sure why I procrastinate the towels/bathmat. But I should stop.
• re-pot plants - I have two plants right now that are currently in need of re-potting. Once the rain lets up (well, it's sunny right now, but this is my obligatory "sit on the couch and maybe do dishes" day), I'm all over it.
• take my laptop to the Apple store - it's been slowing down a lot lately, and I want to know if it's something easily fixable (aka not "oh yeah, you need a new hard drive).
  

the burritos i've been eating all day, made from leftovers a friend left here on Saturday

So that's my list...so far. I'm afraid to say it, but I am actually kind of looking forward to this. I've been extremely lucky in employment ever since I started as a babysitter at age 12, and I've never actually been in a situation where my time is 100% my own. Not in my teen/adult life anyway. No classes, no work, no real obligations except finding a job...which I understand is a job in and of itself, but still. There is something freeing about not having your days mandated.

So yeah. I'm trying to stay positive and look at this as a chance for me to learn something and to focus on myself and read a lot, and maybe try some new knitting, and take walks, and make smoothies, and watch some Ellen* and sell merch at Sara's upcoming shows at Cafe du Nord, and spend time with my other unemployed friends, and hang out with my cousin in the city, and be taken out for a meal or two, and well, we'll see. Hopefully this unemployed thing doesn't last too long, but I'm going to try to enjoy it at least. No sense in moping around feeling sorry for myself!

*Portia de Rossi is going to be on Ellen in a few weeks. That should be fun. The Bird and The Bee is on today - very exciting (Inara was my movement teacher at Shakespeare camp, like, 10 years ago). I recognize some of the girls in her backup band as Theatricum girls - that's always fun. Oh, and Neil Patrick Harris will be on on Monday. Yay!

Just discovered some ants in my laundry room, sneaking in through a tiny hole near the floor. Time to go get a cheap ant trap, I suppose...my skin is crawling with the thought of ants. Gross.

JobSearch2007: Complete!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I could not blog yesterday because I was too excited. Yep, I got the job at Google! I should be receiving my FedEx-ed offer letter tomorrow, I've faxed and e-signed my background check info, I sent a nervous email to my future boss about my upcoming 2 week trip to Israel that he did not previously know about, and I've started to seriously get excited. It's been a busy 24 hours. I am also now in ApartmentHunt Mode, though I'm not going to make a whole labeled section just for that. Really. That had crossed my mind. But no, I will just tell you about my apartment hunting as it goes, because really, it's quite fun (for me).

I have looked at 4 places in the last few days, and have another 4 or 5 to view this week.

1. a very small, but pretty cute 1-bedroom in "lower Rockridge" - this was really more like "upper Oakland," and was at 60th and Telegraph. Not a bad neighborhood by any means, but really just 3 or 4 blocks from where I would ideally like to be. And it was small. And $1100 a month. And small. There was laundry included, and basic utilities as well, but the layout of the place was odd and narrow and rectangular...the living room was just an odd shape. The kitchen was excellent though, and it's not on my "definitely not" list yet.
2. a small, but sorta cute 1-bedroom in Oakland, at Shattuck and Alcatraz. Definitely not my ideal neighborhood, but at $999 with all utilities included, I had to check it out. The kitchen was WAY too tiny for me (literally barely enough room to open the fridge or oven door), and my suspicions about the neighborhood turned out to be correct. Bars on the windows--no thanks.
3. a very interesting studio on the North side of the Cal campus, up by LaVal's and Top Dog. Lots of charm, interesting wood detailing, and the kitchen wasn't bad. The walk-in closet wasn't quite big enough to fit a bed though, and I'm pretty firmly set on not having my bed in the main-living-room area. Also, there was a murphy bed that looked really old and not like it worked, and the manager said if it didn't work, they wouldn't fix it because the repairman was too expensive. Not a good sign if you ask me. Too expensive at $1100 a month, and the manager also said the neighbors like to party. I need to live farther from campus.
4. a nice-ish studio on Dwight, between Dana and Ellsworth. The building is a little funky, but the studio itself was good. There were actually two units in the building, one had a closet that might conceivably fit a bed (score!), but had a shoddy kitchen, and the other had a closet that would be too small, but a nice kitchen. Neither was really worth it to me, though, since they were in the almost $1,000 range.
   

I'm looking at two more on Thursday, and another two on Saturday...I'm really hoping for one that I'm seeing on Thursday--a one bedroom in a cute area in North Berkeley...we'll see!

Tonight is the Ben Folds concert! Wahoo!

Life is pretty good right now.

Phew!

Well, I have just been a complete mishmosh of emotions in the last almost-24-hours! I got my brand new cell phone yesterday (oooh), but of course, not all of my numbers transferred over (totally annoying). Also, my "MEdia package" wasn't working (scary technology). Also, the manager of the Cingular store (or Parrot branch, as it were) accidentally overcharged my debit card, and the credit he did back to my account didn't go through--of course the overcharge went straight through, took money out of my savings, and wants to charge me an overdraft fee. This is all still "pending," but also highly frustrating, as I am not a point in my life where I have extra money to throw around. Apparently it will all be cleared up tomorrow, and the Wells Fargo employee I talked to assured me that everything should be back where it should be, with no overdraft fees. Holla. Needless to say, that was quite a bad-feeling night/morning, and I'm just hoping that it's all right in my financial world tomorrow so I don't have to march down to Wells Fargo in the morning, demanding (hopefully not crying, like I almost did in the Cingular store when the guy told me he charged $42.14 to my card that only had $15 left on it!) that they reverse my fees.

A-a-anyway, that's that. On the upside of things, I got a call from the good people at Google, saying that they are pushing me along on the path to an offer! I'm guessing that means that if all my references/transcript stuff check out, a job offer shall be mine! Right? Fingers crossed!

Also, I may have found a dream apartment. I don't want to say too much yet, as it may not be nearly as good as it looks on Craigslist...but man. If it is...man oh man. And as a side note, I really want to grow a kitchen herb garden. I've been thinking about it for years, and I can't wait to do it! Maybe I'll get really creative and grow tomatoes or potatoes or something too...ah, to have my own apartment...

I don't know if you heard, but Jerry Falwell died. I have nothing to say, but I will repost Mark Morford's article from today's SF Chronicle.

And on that note, I'm out! Friday!!!

Feeling Settled...and Excited

Today is Thursday. It feels like Monday. This makes me happy, knowing that tomorrow is, in fact, not Tuesday. Tuesday always feels like a long day, there's still so much work week ahead of you, and you don't have the fresh-from-the-weekend feeling that Mondays carry (for me anyway). Point being, I'm glad that tomorrow is Friday. The reason it feels Monday-ish, is that I was not at work yesterday, due to my Google Admin Assessment Test, which I just found out that I passed. Hooray! This means I move on to the interview rounds...dun dun dunnnn [NOTE: In case you're thinking of applying to an Admin job at Google, expect the following: online application, online survey, follow up email questions, phone interview, admin assessment test, in-person interviews...and maybe more? i'll let ya know] Wish me luck!

Do you love Myles Nye? I know I do! Myles is currently competing to be the next voice of NPR, and let me tell you, he deserves it. He is intelligent and witty, and very well-spoken--a prime candidate if you ask me! Help him move on to the next round here, and listen to his 2 minute "application." He rules.

A few more things before I move on to today's financial treasures...1: The Governor of Oregon recently decided to call attention to the state's hunger problem by living on $21 a week (the equivalent of food stamps). It's pretty interesting. 2: There's a movie I want to see, partially because it looks nice and pleasing and not scary, partially because it's the last movie Adrienne Shelly (actress/filmmaker) made before she was murdered last year, and partially because I think Kerri Russel is adorable. 3: It's rainy. I am going to Stitch N Bitch at Espresso Roma and will make deviled eggs tonight. So there, rain! 4: I started reading Unhooked. It's really good.

On to finance...
Our intern meeting today was hosted by a board member, and was basically a small group Q&A about personal finance. Sound like something I'd be interested in? Heck yes. It was incredibly useful, and very informative. I present to you a bullet-pointed list of the highlights:

• You only get to keep approximately 60% of your paycheck (the rest goes to Social Security, Medicare, State Disability, and Federal/State Withholding Taxes). I knew that some of your paycheck gets taken away (whether you eventually get it back or not), but I didn't fully realize how much is taken out until today--and I was never really able to make sense of what all the deductions were anyway. Yes, I could have asked all those years working at Western Bagel, UCLA, The Olive Garden, etc...but I wasn't in Think About My Financial Future mode back then.
• Always pay yourself first. This is a rule my parents have always told me to live by. Always save at least 10% of your pay check, and do it as soon as you get paid so the money doesn't get spent. This is a little more difficult when you make, say, $400 a month, in which case bills have to be paid first, and you have to think of other ways to save. My current goal has been $100 a month (I try to make at least $300 in babysitting, bartending, house sitting, etc.), and I generally just save gradually throughout the month when I have some extra cash and am not on gas or groceries--after bills have been paid, of course.
• "If you can't pay cash, you can't afford it." This is a fantastic rule, courtesy of Phillip Trapp (our speaker at today's meeting). He makes the exception of buying a house, which most people (unless you're superrich or something) don't do with cash anyway. Don't buy things on your credit card unless you are absolutely going to pay it off within the month. (this is actually a good idea, because it helps you build good credit--just be careful and don't rack up a bunch of credit cards and a bunch of debt)
• If your interest rate on your student loans is lower than your interest rate on your credit card, pay off the credit card first. In general, always be paying things off, but if you're going to pay more than the minimum somewhere, do it wherever the interest rate is the highest. Makes sense.
• Dividing savings into Long-Term and Short-Term.
  
• Long-Term Savings is the "don't touch this" savings, money you want to save for retirement, buying a house, or other large expenses far in the future. Things like a 401k or 403b (now I know the difference!) plan are generally reserved for retirement, but can also be used for a mortgage--though sometimes with a penalty, especially if you withdraw before you turn 59 1/2. There's a 529, which I've mentioned before, to save for your kids' education. There should be a separate plan for saving for a house, I think, because I'm guessing most people don't tap into their 401k plans for mortgages, but maybe that's as simple as setting up an automatic withdrawl from your paycheck into a high-interest savings account.
• Short-Term Savings is the "I'm saving for something I want to buy soonish" money. Things like a new car, or a vacation, or a security deposit on a new apartment (and maybe some stuff to go in it as well...) fit into this category. There seem to be a few ways to save: Certificates of Deposit (CDs) and High-Interest Savings Accounts. The savings accounts sound like the easiest option to me, and the interest appears to be higher than that of a CD, but CDs have their benefits as well. A CD has a set time-limit, so let's say you want to save for a vacation you are taking in just over 3 months. You put your money in a 90-day CD, and right when you're getting ready to leave for the vacation, voila! You have all the money you had set aside initially, plus interest (usually around 4%). I think this is good for specific savings for time-sensitive things like a vacation or a security deposit, where you want to make sure you have X amount of money by a certain date. On the other hand, the high-interest savings account is a great place to keep your savings that you just want to sit there, earning interest, hanging out until you have a need for it...this is also where you want to keep that 3-6 months worth of living expenses storing up in case you get laid-off, or quit your job on a whim.

We also talked about money market, stocks, and flexible vs. fixed rate mortgages, but I won't go into all that right now, since it doesn't apply to my immediate life. I'm feeling very good about my Personal Financial Future, thanks largely to my parents, today's meeting, The Simple Dollar, and Crazy Aunt Purl. It's amazing how much better you can feel knowing that you are on top of your financial situation, and are keeping yourself knowledgeable and informed along the way. Awesome.

Here are a few more links if you're interested...things from The Simple Dollar (man, I'm like a walking ad for this site) that are relevant to my recent posts.

• Setting and Reaching Immediate Term Personal Finance Goals.
  
• Setting and Reaching Short Term Personal Finance Goals. I especially liked this one.
• A Reader Runs In Place. Finally! He writes about someone my friends and I can really (instead of hypothetically or "in the future") relate to! I'm just glad my debt isn't as high...
• Nourishment on a Desperate Income. One of the reasons this guy is so great is his combination of perspective and experience. He was broke. Broke broke. He has hit rock bottom (pardon the cliche) and come back from it, slowly but surely (pardon the cliche again). This article tells how he ate in a reasonably healthy way when he literally had around $10 a month to spend on food. It's pretty incredible.

So there you go. Many things to read on this Thursday afternoon. I am feeling quite...settled. Which is possibly my favorite feeling, aside from "full of chocolate." Yum.

So Nice

I had my test at Google today. It was harder than I thought it would be. Google is awesome. I hope I did well enough on the test to get an interview, cause I could ROCK an interview.

Speaking of rocking, watch this video. It was made by the awesome (attractive, young, artsy, hip) employees at Connected Ventures. Yet another cool company proving that our generation rules at corporate life. Man, we are a cool bunch of young upstarts. I don't know if technically I'm a member of "this" generation, but I'd like to thing so. People between the ages of 20 and 30 = the same generation, as far as I'm concerned. So there.



Don't you want to work there? Shoot, I would. But I don't want to move to NY, so I'll just stick to trying to work my way into the Googleplex...

Monday String Beans

Everyone needs an emergency fund! Such a good idea! I know I've recently maintained some sort of emergency fund (which I used to call my "don't touch this cash" fund, which was locked up in a cash box), made up of spare cash...generally from babysitting at a time when I wasn't particularly strapped for cash.

Normally, I don't like Andrew Lloyd Webber. I think he's arrogant, and that he recycles his material, and relies on Cameron Mackintosh's advertising brilliance (or annoyance) to make his shows into the Huge Commercial Successes they unfortunately are. However, this interview/article about him and his opinions on Reality TV About Theatre is interesting. I'm a little confused, because it says he had nothing to do with the American version of Grease: You're The One That I Want, but he was definitely a guest judge. What's up with that? Also, he kind of looks like a bug. Just had to put it out there.

This makes me laugh. It's an article about young artists being too vague about their objectives. Also about joining the circus. Ah, the emerging pool of young artists, with artistic policies like "our artistic policy is to have no artistic policy," and other such noncommittal phrases. Are we (and I say we, because these people make up my artistic peer group) doing acid in 1969? "Yeah, man, it's so deep. We're revolutionaries...our policy is no policy...make love not war...and stuff." Come on. I'm all for experimentation and public street theatre (well, sometimes) and expressing your artistic selves, but sometimes you just need to meet with your co-directors/leaders/buddies, put your heads together, and come up with a non-generic, solid mission statement. Or purpose. Or goal. It's like these BS "objectives" people put on their resumes: "To gain employment with a company wherein I can utilize my skills while growing as an individual." Or whatever. But that's a whole 'nother rant for a different day.

I have been told to check out the Harbin Hot Springs. It sounds like fun. Yeah! Add it to my list of things to do in the Bay Area! Other lists I am creating: Engaged or Married (because I have far too many friends in this category); Almost Famous (because I have far too many friends who are starting to "make it" in the entertainment industry). Oy. In a good way. I guess.

In JobSearch2007-related news, I have a phone interview with Google on Wednesday morning. I just about squealed when I got the email about it. Movin' along in the application process...we'll see what happens!

Oh, and if you're thinking, "Monday String Beans? WTF, Kim?!" -- click here.

Just For Funsies

I just re-read my post from last night, and thought of two things.

1. I am not a reality TV junkie. Ok, well maybe I am a little, but only on Monday nights. And if I'm feeling bad about myself or something--watching stupid pretty people does something for your ego, I'm telling you. Also, when I go on and on about the superficial drama that is somehow completely and totally engaging, please know that it is all in irony. Well, mostly. I'm not saying I'm all high and mighty and above this sort of thing, and it's not like I actually care if Spencer and Heidi move in together or not, but come on. These are my stories! I don't know if these reality soap operas (because come on, that's what they are) are any less embarrassing than, say, All My Children or Passions or something like that, but I do know that I love them for what they are. Escapism. Ego-boosting. Entertainment. Plus I like the fact that my friends back in LA party at the same places the silly girls on The Hills do. It makes me laugh. And I feel SO almost famous. Not.
2. Did anyone besides me watch the Law and Order: SVU Master Class parody thing on SNL? It's the episode with Jake Gyllenhaal. It's amazing. I love Amy Poehler, and I love SVU. And it is awesome. I looked for it forever online, but silly old NBC took it off youtube. SO, when it was on TV the other night, I grabbed my digital camera and took a video of it. That's right. I now possess a (rather shoddy quality) copy of it. Recorded via digital camera video function from my TV. I am so cool.
3. Unrelated: I'm still in JobSearch mode. And it's incredibly likely that I will not be ready to start work until the end of July. So...if you know of anything opening up around then, sweet. I'm hoping something works out with Google, but you never know. I never know. Nobody knows. Also, I'll be looking for a place to live (alone--no more roommates, please!) starting in August. Preferably in Berkeley. If you're moving out at the end of the summer, let me know. I'm looking for a studio/one bedroom around $700-800 a month.
4. Another Unrelated: check out www.del.icio.us.com. It will change your life. Or maybe not, but I think it's cool.
   

Happy Tuesday, everyone. May your days be sunny and bright.

Musings on a Sunday Night

...or I guess on a Monday morning, as it's 12:08am.

The 10 Brief Musings:

1. Nicole gave me her old digital camera to replace the one that disappeared! What a nice sister :)
2. I did not knit at all this weekend at home, though I brought TWO projects with me.
3. I applied to 4 (count them 4!) Administrative Assistant jobs at Google today.
4. I love Google.
5. My dad made amazing steak tonight.
6. Google is really neat.
   
7. Airports (and airplanes) make me feel dirty, and not in a good way.
8. The high school production of Thoroughly Modern Millie that my sisters were in this weekend was excellent. And I say that even after seeing it twice in one day.
9. I had an adventure with a deflating air mattress on Friday night. It was not all that fun.
   
10. It's Sunday night (or Monday morning) and I need to go to bed. It's past my bedtime.

This was a short blog post, but I'm sure y'all were ready for that at this point. Y'all?

I Had No Idea...

There is actually something called the National Association of Professional Organizers, and they have a Bay Area chapter. I might have to seriously look into this...I've always joked that I should go into a career of helping people get organized, but maybe it's actually something to think about!

As for JobSearch2007, who knows? I have just come to the realization (like, yesterday) that dramaturgy/literary management may not be for me. It's a long story, and full of exciting Twists and Turns and Life Journey Type Things, but to sum it up: I realized that the reason I have been feeling "bored" or "uninterested" or "uninspired" or "like I'm missing something here" lately is because I just don't have the passion for this work. I like some aspects of the job, but I'm not excited about it; I don't get a rush out of discovering a gem of a playwright or thinking about the interconnectedness of world events and theatre. Don't get me wrong, this is all interesting stuff. But it seems I am not nearly interested enough to enjoy it all day long, much less make a career out of it. That "thing" that I felt I didn't know how to do, or that I felt was missing, was the passion. Good to know, eh?

So, where do I go from here? I've thought a bit about short-form writing (such as magazine or newspaper columns), editing, proofreading, etc. as well as arts foundation work, like maybe doing something for the city arts council. Maybe something for the SF Ballet? Maybe something in a museum? As of now, I want to stay in the arts, it's just a matter of what kind of job in the arts I might like to do...right now I might take an office job in Some Unidentified Good Company Somewhere (the SF ballet? an environmental something or other? some non-profit that provides low income housing?) to pay the bills while I experiment in freelance writing or starting an organization business.

As always, any ideas?

My camera is still missing, by the way. Sad face.

Webthings of interest for your Tuesday:

1. From the OgMog Blog: cities are making the homeless even more uncomfortable. I like OgMog not just for their perspectives on all sorts of issues and topics, but for their uncanny nack for linking to other interesting articles.
2. Also from OgMog: the infinite photo mosaic. I had trouble accessing it on my Mac, but as at least a few of the OgMog Bloggers are known Mac users, I'm sure I just have to download something and it'll work fine. It looks really cool.
3. This article in The Onion made me laugh.
4. Not really a webthing, but Ben Karlin is a cool guy. Check out this interview from NPR entitled "The Fake News Career of Ben Karlin." (PS: he's the guy that co-created The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report, and edited The Onion)

And that's all, folks.

Updates and Unformation

A friend of mine posted a link to this article on his facebook blog the other day, and I thought it was interesting. I share it with you, in case you find these things interesting as well. It's basically about consumerism and the superfastspreading of companies like Starbucks and McDonalds, and how places that start out as totally-hip-and-unique-hot-spots sell out and become mass-marketed one-on-every-corner soul suckers. And it's all because the guy who started the dreaded Starbucks is sad about it.

Rock on.

In other news, JobSearch2007 is underway. I'm trying to figure out how it's all going to work with this whole Going To Israel thing (oh yeah, I'm going to Israel this summer--thanks to Birthright Israel.), and I may end up both jobless and homeless in July, but I'm hoping something will turn up. 'Cause jobless and homeless wouldn't be that fun. Or would it? I'm going with "no."

More on this, and other things, later.