OnceAndAgainAnew

Well, I guess it’s been awhile as I look at the date of my last post – July – lots and yet nothing have happened since then so I’ll catch you up quickly.

July and August went by rather uneventfully until the end of August, when I was contacted to work a 1 month temporary placement at a local university.  As some of you may know, I have been looking for decent work for a good while now and this chance at the university was the result of a good deal of work and networking within a network.  It came about as a result of an interview that I had over a year ago, when I made a good impression on the Director, and my continued nagging and emailing to a certain HR Advisor within the university.  You never know.  Apparently, the impression I made in the interviews and meetings was good.  🙂

So I had a good solid month of work at a reasonable salary and one that I would be happy to earn for a living should my luck hold.  As someone who has been unemployed and/or underemployed for what seems like a very long time, this chance to work in an administrative position for awhile was like heaven.  I loved knowing what to do and how to do it  I enjoyed understanding the politics of the situation and staying out of them.  I loved earning a good living for a job that didn’t stress me out beyond belief and compromise my personal convictions.  In short, I thoroughly enjoyed the month of September while I worked full time in an administrative job.

I gotta say, they seem to have loved me as I got roses, a luncheon, cake, cookies, chocolates and many hugs when I left.  I hope it means they loved me, and not that they hope never to see me again!  I’m looking on the bright side, as I choose to do regularly.

I hope to stay more connected in the future!

Today is looking like a very positive day.  I’ve received two emails with job leads and am working my way through some resume/cover letter writing to apply for some new positions.  And the sun is shining and the laundry is underway, and the cats are sleeping contentedly, and, even more importantly, I just paid off my Visa card!!  Yay!!!!  Hadn’t seen that one coming!

After about 17 months of underemployment and unemployment, I now qualify for EI payments to supplement the income I receive from my part-time retail job and bring me to a point of near survival.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a result of the payment I received this week, I have been able to pay off the Visa card that, while admittedly wasn’t a HUGE amount, was daunting for me on my minimum wage part-time income.  So that beast is now off of my burdens and the world is a hopeful place.  🙂

So it’s on to the next challenge with one less worry.  Now, let’s not all just jump up and dance – I do still have debt, I just don’t have huge interest incurring debt that is sucking the very life blood out of me.

But, what the hell, let’s dance a little anyway, shall we?   Let’s take every chance to dance that we can get, frankly.

Yay, Me!!

I’ve been away for awhile.  I apologize.  Again.

I’ve finished reading “The Drunk Diet” by Luc Carl and it was definitely a good read.  I’ve gained a whole host of inspirational ideas and his writings have inspired me to re-activate my Twitter account (@murfkitten) that I had actually de-activated for a second time.  It’s not that I hadn’t enjoyed the Twitter community, it is that I had enjoyed it too much and was receiving criticism for doing so from those in my life who didn’t understand thSo e absolute need for the Twitter world.

I was contemplating deleting all mention and affect of this blog, as life has raised it’s ugly head and things aren’t working out as they should.  Um, I think that is life, really.  So much for me saying “Suck it up, Buttercup”.  I’m pretty much the Buttercup, myself.

So I’m still here, though clearly neglectful, and still trying to make my peace with the world, my workouts, and the job hunt.  I am continually disappointed on the job front, and I continue to disappoint myself in getting my ass back on the treadmill, but at least I have intention!  Intention is a good thing, really, as it leads one to think you might get there, ultimately!!  And I’m pretty sure I will.  I’m just neglecting it so that my feet are ok for the times I need to work.

I COMPLETELY enjoy my time on the sales floor at the book store.  I love engaging with customers and giving them guidance on book choices that I have enjoyed, as well as having the opportunity to share my enjoyment of food/cookbooks and well being/self-help stuff.  I swear, I’ve done it all!!!  Or at least tried. 🙂

I was soooooo thrilled the other night to hear from my GM that he wants to offer me a part time position at the end of my seasonal contract.  How Great Is That?!?!?  Totally Great!!  I’m thrilled!!  Especially since ‘The Hubby’ has received his lay-off notice and will be out of a job (after 15+ years) as of December 21.  Merry Frickin’ Christmas to us!!!!  So I still don’t have a solid job, and ‘The Hubby’ will now be joining me on the unemployment lines.  Yay!!  What fun!  Good times.  Really

So I get that I’ve been gone awhile, but I hope that you will, after reading where we are right now, understand our predicament.  We are both doing our best to make this world work for what we need.  Who knew that things would go this way.  It just sucks, is all.  Badly!!

It’s Monday.  I’m not skipping with joy.  I have the day off of work but, know what?  Even after 3 years of virtual unemployment (save a paycheque and a few short weeks back in the workplace) Mondays still suck whether I work or not.  I think it’s just because it’s Monday and it’s supposed to be a fresh start on the world.  Whatever!!!

Let’s not kid about it.  It just generally sucks when Mondays come around.  And they come around every seven days (WTF!?!).  Yeah, it would suck even more if Monday didn’t come around ’cause we’d probably be dead if that were the case but still, if you’re not one of those people with a terminal disease or who embrace every day as the first day (blah! – though I respect you greatly! 🙂  ), then ….  Mondays generally suck!!  Period.

But, as dedicated readers may know, I had an interview with a company last week ‘about which I am very excited’ (for those who need reasonably correct grammar) or that I’m really, seriously stoked about (for the otherwise grammar’d!).  Still have my fingers crossed on that one.  But as life would have it, I now also have an interview at another employer in the area and I can’t believe my luck!  Two interviews in such a short period, and an actual job!  I’ve been applying for so long and it’s finally paying off!  They (you know, that ‘They’) are always saying that it comes in threes and here ‘they‘ are.  I’m happy for it, I just gotta say.

And that’s kinda all I gotta say today.  Have a good one if you can!!  It’s Monday, after all…

O M G, had a job interview the other day for a job that I would LOVE to get.  The position is Office Manager at an environmental agency and taps into all of my prior work experience and who I am as a person.  It’s a do-everything/organize everything job and that’s sooooo who I am.  Added bonus is that it is with an environmentally focused company that is focused on reducing greenhouse gases and hydro/water usage and I’m SOLD!!

In light of the questions related to Hurricane Sandy and global warming, we could all stand to pay attention to our environmental impact, reducing our carbon footprint and emissions.  Just sayin’.

Well, you’re still here!!  Thanks for that, as I’ve neglected you over the past few days….


Big news.  I got the job!!!!  I’m now a seasonal Customer Experience Representative at Chapters Indigo in a local Ottawa-area store.  This is my first foray back into the working world in about 3 years, so should be interesting for me, if not you, the reader.

I’m very happy with having landed this position.  

Anyone interested in learning about Chapters interviews, check here!!   But I think I just wore them down with my chatter, really!  Might not be much help for anyone else.

Only issue I have with this new role for me is the footwear.  I LOVE a classic pointed toe pump in any form!!  Love a leopard, giraffe or ocelot print especially, but a black soft leather stiletto is my classic look, and I love it still!  So the THOUGHT of wearing sensible footwear that will allow me to walk around a store for a number of hours is terrifying for me!!  SENSIBLE FOOTWEAR!?!?!?  Are you kidding me??!!  How does one deal with that??

It has been a whole knew experience for me to examine the world of comfortable footwear.  I’m a classic pointed toe pump kinda gal, and the one comment that a former co-worker made was “no more leopard print heels”!!!!  I did Love my LEOPARD PRINT heels.  Also my Giraffe print heels, and, frankly, any heel!!  But that was when I had a desk job.  Now I have a floor job and I’ll let ya know!!!

This is a first step in the renewal of the Once and Again Anew!!

Phew!!!!  First interview with Chapters Indigo is now complete!


So, the first stage (well, really the third, because I’ve submitted resumes, cover letters and completed on-line pre-interview surveys to get here) is now in the ‘Completed’ bin.  Second interview may or may not come depending on what they thought of me, but, of course, I can’t go to a Chapters store without making a purchase or two, so no matter how the interview went, I didn’t come home empty handed!!

Got me some Bobbi Brown literature and instruction.  Bobbi has just recently released a new book that focuses on personal style and make-up styles that flatter your personal style, with step-by-step instructions called “Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful” but that’s not the one I bought.  I bought the classic “Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual that has tips for everyone and every style – from a 5-minute minimal face to a make-up artist look for the runway with how-to’s at every turn.  It’s a paperback now, so cheaper and in light of the current state of my employment, that’s the swing vote.

Also bought “Run Like A Girl” by Mina Samuels for a little inspiration on my fitness journey.

Honestly, I can’t believe how ready I am to get back to life.  Seems like I’ve really turned a corner without even realizing that I had.  Sooooo glad.  So ready to Once and Again Renew Anew!!