Joyous Christmahanukwanzukkah

I admit that I stole that from a TV commercial, but I found it such a fitting testament to our modern politically correct world that I couldn't resist.

My long silence is due to the happy fact that I have a job and a new apartment, which for the moment does not have internet access...I'm working on that, though. The debate between DSL and cable connections rages on, without much of a conclusion, at least as far as I can tell.

This Christmas season has been strange - It's the first year that I will not be with my family for the holidays, and that has been harder for me than I imagined it would. Being in a new place, away from my childhood and college traditions, and settling into a new job and a new apartment has made this year very un-Christmas-y. I am proud, though, because I bought a tree and put it up all by myself. It was quite a fiasco, involving a too-small saw and a lot of elbow grease. Sharon sent me my Christmas tree ornaments, so I have more than just generic colored balls on it! My stocking is hung by the chimney with care, and I have it on good authority that it will tomorrow will find it full of treats.

I'm sending my love and happy thoughts to "my people", where ever you may find yourselves. I leave you with part of my favorite book - The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Merry Christmas, may the spirit of peace and joy be with you now and always.

And a youth said, "Speak to us of Friendship."
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

How does 8 days in Italy sound?

The good news is, while I still don't have a "Real" job, I'm training to be a travel agent! I'm half done with the training, and I"m enjoying it very much. The idea that I can help others take amazing vacations while getting new and fantastic ideas for my own travel is so exciting. Even better, since I'll be working from home, I"ll be able to have a 3/4 time or full time job (with benefits) while I'm building up a client base and really getting into the swing of things. So if you are looking for help with ideas for your next vacation or help with booking it, let me know!

The lamest explanation in history for not hiring someone:

I had an interview on Friday for a receptionist position at a chiropractors' office. It went reasonably well, it was short, but we seemed to connect (at least as much as possible in 10-15 minutes) in a good way. My employment agency woman said she would call later that day. When she still hadn't called at 5.20 pm, I figured I would call, maybe she had just forgotten. She said that none of the four candidates met their criteria, which was fine, because not everyone is right for every job...and then I asked if they had given any reasons. She said, "I think this is really unfair, but the main thing they said about you - no, the only thing they said about you - and the woman who was immediately after you was that when you came into the room and sat down, you sat up very straight and had good posture. They weren't sure that you would fit into their more relaxed office environment." That is a load of shit in my opinion. If you don't want to hire me because you think I'm too inexperienced, or because I am too young, or because I'm under/overqualified, that is just fine with me. I may not agree, but I can't argue with that. But to say that I sat up too straight? Ridiculous!

So tell me, why should we hire you?

That question is fast approaching the top of my "least favorite interview questions" list.

The job search experience has been, on the whole, positive. While it it certainly not something I will be doing just for fun in the coming years, it is good for my self esteem to hear complete strangers telling me how smart and capable I am, without even having seen what I can really do! I tend to think that I'm a rather average, if eccentric and quirky, person. Apparently, I have been wrong in that assumption. The woman I was working with today was an absolute gem. She, and just about everyone in their office, was so impressed with my personality and educational background and my all-important Test Scores (the MS Word, MS Excel, and typing proficiency tests). Most of the time I feel that my lack of Real work experience, for a Real employer (You're always Real to me, Kristi, you know that!), with a Real salary, and lasting for more than 9 months at a stretch, is all anyone sees when they look at my resume. I discovered something interesting and rather refreshing today: there are employers that care enough about their companies to hire good people, in spite of a lack of background, and train them, rather than just hiring someone because they have qualifications on paper. I will be so delighted when I find a job that I will feel good about getting up every day to go to. And not only because it will mean that I'm done filling out application forms (for now!), although it does astound me how many times one can write the same information about one's previous employers and still not have memorized it all. To be able to earn a living while making someone else's day brighter is what would make a job good for me. To know that I've made a difference, to even one person. And so I go to my job interview tomorrow with my best smile and crossed fingers, all of the wonderful things that have been said about me ringing in my ears (and hopefully theirs too!)

But don't you worry, I won't let all of the praise go to my head, I promise.

not a great photo, but not bad for one taken from a phone...

The very beginning, a very good place to start...

After talking to a friend online today, I discovered the wonders of the weblog. Up to this point, I had been skeptical of the idea, but who knows, I may come over to the dark side...This is definitely more pleasant than mass emails. Happy Tuesday!