Update on the job search

I have applied to 3 jobs and received 2 call backs which are significantly better stats then the last time I was shopping around. I had 1 interview last week which I thought went well but I did not get the job unfortunately. I cried some bitter tears, but then I got to feed the snapping turtle again yesterday and see the animals and I felt better. I may have another interview this week, the time is still to be confirmed, but at least it's something. The good thing on the current work situation is that my office is trying to resolve some of the crap happening in the company so I still have at least 3 weeks of vacation from last year as well as whatever I accrue this year for my trip. And, for the next 2 months I am down to 3 days a week (using up 19 vacation days, 2 furlough days, & 2 banked days) so maybe I'll get around to cleaning my house & stuff. At the very least I will have more time to keep up the job search & play Sudoku.

Angel's Animal Rescue

If you have a chance please go to www.angelsanimalrescue.ca. I'm going to start volunteering for this place myself & they really need all the help they can get. They are currently in an online contest through the Pepsi Refresh Project. If they can get the most votes they will win a large grant to help expand their facility.

Sign in and vote everyday til February 28: http://www.refresheverything.ca/angelsanimalrescue

Thanks!

Hal - Little Kitties for Big Cats

I donated to this cause (part of the Cause an Uproar campaign) & posted a photo of Hal:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats/little-kitties/entries/33873/view/

Please vote for him!

Problem

I am addicted to Sudoku.

Plan Burkina Faso

I'm super excited so I thought I would share this right away. When I was on holidays I went out shopping in Van & was feeling good, etc. and I ended up signing up to sponsor a child through Plan 'Because I am a Girl' campaign. Now after I did that I had what I call 'buyer's remorse' - a feeling of regret and worry over how much I spent. I also was worried that I was being conned because I spent a long time in retail and became a very suspicious person. However, I have been thinking about contributing to something for years now, I just wasn't sure what I should do and I made no effort either. So, this guy was standing around near Kids Books and then voila! When I got home I looked this up online and I tried to convince myself it was legit. But, really, until today I felt like maybe I really was an idiot. One of the things that appealed most to me was that it was not religious based, which is why I have not been keen on some of the other organizations that advertise on T.V. so often. I am by no means opposed to their work, but I would personally rather contribute to something secular.

The proof is now here though and I am ecstatic that I'm not an idiot and I'm helping others at the same time. I got a pamphlet about the 'ambassador' child who's name is Hairata. She lives in Burkina Faso. They also provide some info about the community and provide pictures of Hairata and her brother, as well as more detailed info about how Plan uses sponsor donations.I had never heard of this country but it is just north of Ghana & Cote D'Ivoire (they were in the 2011 World Cup, though their main striker plays for a European team professionally - if you even care about Soccer, which you should). The money I donate does not go directly to the child, but the whole community. It's used for improving their schools, access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare (which includes things like providing mosquito nets, vaccinations, etc.). It's $35/month which is why I had the buyer's remorse - but it's really just the cost of a dinner & a movie or a pair of shoes which I can definitely do without. I can also claim it on my tax return so that will help a bit.

They encourage the sponsors to write to the child which I feel a bit weird about. I think About Schmidt is kind of in the background of my mind. But, I suppose it would be interesting for Hairata & her family to see pictures of where I live. I really have no idea what to say exactly but I suppose if I muster up enough umph to do it I'll just keep it pretty simple & not blab on about my problems. I will likely send a picture of Hal too though, because he is really cute.

Snow day

No work today! I am snowed in and only 1 person showed up at the office this morning so I don't feel any guilt.

The drift outside my door - I know you prairie folk will think we're a bunch of pussies but really, do you want to slide off the mountain and to your death? Not me.

This looks worse! Too bad it will melt soon...

Hal looking cute

The plunge - do NOT tell my Mother!

My first week back was...Well, work, you know...Hmmmm. Um, well, I was in tears by the end of day 1. This is actually a fairly typical occurrence at my job so on a more philosophical level it's 'just the way it is' there. However, after a month off it's all really much more dramatic and painful than it would be if I had the same thing happen my last day. That would have just been the pinnacle of lameness and sorrow. And, then I maybe would have recovered or adjusted my plans accordingly. But, no, in true corporate fashion the crap hits the fan at the most inconvenient and harshest time possible.

What's going on you ask? Well let me tell you! As well as a bunch of crack-downs on various activities and expenses through the company we also have to take another week unpaid and ALL of our vacation time by the end of April. Now, if I was 'towing the company line' as I have heard at the office I would go 'okay, I would love 8 weeks off now, fantastic. Thanks for the offer. I love working here. Yay' and so on. However, after approximately 3+ years of saving for Africa I am now forced to use all the vacation time I have been stock piling now and will not have any left for my planned trip this fall. This is what affects me the most. The only reason I am at my current job and have put up with the last 2 insane years is so that I could save up and have enough money and holidays set aside to do this trip. That's it. If the company policy was to always use up my holidays every year I would have. But, the alternative to not using them in the next 3 months is to forfeit them. So, the 7 weeks of paid time will be lost. I can't even see how this will help the company cut costs - short of having all the books clean and all their employees having to forfeit their holidays because they can't take that much time off. Which, actually is probably what they're hoping for, the bastards. The other thing that really bothers me about this is that our busy season starts at the end of March/early April and if half of the office is forced to take all of their vacation before then we will have nothing prepared and will not be ready for anything. The result of which will be an even more stressful summer than the last one, more unhappy clients, more late deliveries and an even worse financial outcome than this past year. On top of all this my direct supervisors have been busy with holidays, meetings, and other responsibilities so I have no one to turn to. Though, even if they were more available I do not think there is anything that they could do to help me. Many co-workers seem to be just hunkering down and will try to see it through. Others are looking elsewhere. The idea of another summer like the last one is what's really pushing me to the next move. If I have to endure the same difficulties as last year I will have a nervous breakdown, and I am not in any way joking or over dramatizing. I have barely just gotten over last summer emotionally. I can't survive another one like that. But, that's exactly how it will be if these new rules are enforced.

The result of this insanity is that I have been forced to finally get off my butt and start looking for alternate employment. It actually makes me sick to my stomach to face the fact that I can no longer do my job under these conditions. The though of leaving my co-workers and possibly my home brings me to tears. I may find work here but most likely I would have to commute far and last time I applied to at least 200 jobs before I got one. I have to be open to the possibility of moving if I can't find anything here. But, if I were to move far away I would have to give up the Zoo, which would be devastating. The idea of moving eventually was fine, because in a few years I would be ready. After the big trip I was intending to save up for a year or two and then pursue the Kennel business. But, I can't deal with all this corporate bull-sh$%. And, even if I could I may be fired anyways.

Really, I could just go on and on so I'll stop. Needless to say if you mention any of this to my Mother I will never speak to any of you again. And, I'm not even joking. If she hears about this she'll freak out. I tell her work is fine, and it is dammit!

The good thing is I found my old resume this morning and have spent the day updating it and doing some job searches. I hope to apply for the few that I found tomorrow if the finally editing goes well. So, wish me luck!

I forgot about Maru!

I almost forgot to mention Maru. You must watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=mugumogu#grid/uploads

and more Maru

http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/

Thanks to Julie & Eric for introducing me to Maru, and the joy of mash-ups!

Trip pics

Hal before I leave with his new Christmas toy & some catnip.

Phoenix, not Phynix.


ORANGUTANS!!!!


The Mom & toddler together.


Freaked Tracey out but beautiful colours.

GIBBONS!!!!

A person, starts with a "T".

The elusive silverback Charles & the youngest of the group. This scene was followed by the baby rolling around in the leaves. It was hilarious.

The youngest of the group. Too cute.

Red things in the trees. Pretty. Do you know what these are? We didn't.

Burrowing Owl!!!

Notice the two behind the big guy (or girl).

Great Polar Bear exhibit. There was quite a large area, lots of little nooks for the bears and viewers. There was even an underwater area.

The Komodo Dragon. It was pretty chill for a supposedly scary and vicious lizard.

Wine tasting. I believe this was the Chateau - very fancy.

Phoenix really really loved me. This is her wondering why I have to leave.

Mom's lovely tree & the excess of Christmas manifested in gift bags.

Who is this wacky kid? Sugar does weird things to people.

Oddball. Image snorting, lots of it and then running, jumping, licking. She's awesome.

Bella & Marley at the dog park, still with most of their booties here I think. We left with only 2 or 3 between the 2 at the end.

This is Elwood playing frisbee with us on the PS3. He kept running to the next room to try to catch it. It's the biggest tease really, I felt a bit bad.

Cousin Mikie lighting stuff on fire. Happy New Year!

So you may notice that there tend to be way more animals than people, though technically people are animals too. This is just how it is. I try every year to take amusing people shots but I always end up with scenery and animals. Scenery and animals. I tried to incorporate some actual friend & family this time just to represent. And if you don't see yourself it's either because you're just a hand or foot, or I forgot my camera that day, or I replaced you with a picture of an orangutan or lizard. Sorry! I love you, hopefully you can forgive me.

The evidence

Vacation and post-vacation my style

I'm home. Sweet, wonderful, slightly musty smelling home. Hal was so lonely that he actually let me pick up up (purring yet) and cuddle him for several minutes. This has never happened before. It's apparently below zero but really after minus 28 or whatever it was in the Peg this weather is like a warm spring day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the mountains look amazing today (especially on the descent into Van). I have rotting veggies in the fridge (don't tell my Mom because I said I had food & milk, etc. - lies!), cat hair all over everything, things tipped over but nothing visibly broken so overall not too bad. I've already partially dusted and lint brushed things, the sheets are even in the washing machine. I had a shower because I was quite smelly already (why will come later) and the plants are watered too. I still need to unpack the rest of my stuff but I wanted to go online as soon as possible and get all this sh$% down before I forget anything.

So, first of all, THE TRIP. I kind of feel like I've been away a few months but it's only been 2 1/2 weeks. The Toronto/Hamilton trip was nice. It was pleasant, fun, a bit on the cool side downstairs due to the 1920s windows I think, but tolerable. There were Zoo animals, wine drinking, Harry Potter, recycling, sleeping in, relaxing, Carcassonne - so a good solid mini-vac with my dear friends Tracey & Andy. So Monday I head to Winnipeg and I've already been a bit antsy to get going and just be 'home' so I was relieved to get there and all is well. My Mom's ecstatic to see me, I get chili and there's Gailies in the fridge so I am content. But, then why my Mom and I cannot live together starts to manifest. It was about 10:00 or 11:00 on Tuesday (so almost 1 full day there) and my Mom starting nagging me about reading too much. I'm not doing crack or beating up kids, I'm reading but somehow this is a major issue. Everything goes in the garbage including cardboard and drink cans. It makes me frickin' crazy. Anyways, after some friend-time and much deep breathing I manage to control my anger and not act like I'm 14. Though really I feel 14 there - zitty, red and blotchy, fat, ugly, a bad daughter, no boyfriend. The only thing that's really changed is that I have stretch marks and my hair is much more manageable thanks to curly/frizzy friendly hair products. It really kind of sucks. I guess the other thing is that my Mom & I don't yell at each other anymore either. We're both too mature so it just does not escalate to that point, but the tension is sure still there.

So I make it till all the holiday events are through and get some more friend-time in. There are some difficulties with not having Internet access though so I am not able to fully plan things & miss out on seeing certain people. It's also difficult after spending about 4 months on Twitter to suddenly go cold-turkey. Very very difficult, though I think I'm stronger for it. So, there's the traditional Dim Sum, breakfasts, lunches, dogs (lots actually, and lots of cats too - Milo, Zach, Zoya, Max, another Max, Tabitha, Marley & Bella), etc., and it's really fun and I feel happy to catch up and spend time with people I care about. I have a few more days to cram everything I can in and then I get some wacky flu. The frickin' flu. Like I have time for sickness. It was total garbage. Basically I woke up feeling unwell and I managed about half a piece of toast and then there was diarrhea and I almost puked while I was on the toilet. Now, I don't remember if I've ever gone on about how much I despise puking but I honestly would rather die than voluntarily puke. I absolutely despise everything about puking and I will not allow myself to puke. There are times when I cannot stop myself and that's maybe why I hate it so much but really it's the most revolting thing. So as I'm gagging and fighting to keep it down the plan for the next couple of days sort of unravels and I slowly come to the realization that I am not going to be able to do all this stuff. I had to cancel a few things and leave my mother's basement in disarray. I did go out for a beer that afternoon since there were previous plans just to meet my friend Warren (from Abby) downtown and I couldn't just bail. However, I could barely sit up and almost fell asleep (in the Kings Head) and I couldn't make it through even half the beer. I got a cab back home and slept the rest of the day.

By Friday afternoon I just had a headache mostly so thanks to the bully that is Cousin Mikie I drank up a storm on New Years Eve and actually pulled a 'nighter'. After the snacking, PS3 connect games, laughing, and very unpleasant shooter development project (though apparently I'm the only one that had any issues with the taste, just to be fair) I thought there may be a chance for a nap but then there were Cousin Mikie's neighbours. So from about 3:40 till 5:20 I met the cute male neighbour. Really, Mikie went on and on about how cute his neighbour was, which was unsettling in and of itself since he's usually only like that about tits & other bimbo parts. But, really his neighbour or neighbours, since there was an almost twin or maybe actually twin brother, are cute. I entered and did a jagger bomb and met more dogs (Rudy? I think, and Bella or Candy? these are the most recent names, yes, but, I have also had a long day as you can see!) and then we tried to counsel their drunk friend about drunk texting his girlfriend. This somehow took almost 2 hours. Then we went back to Cousin Mikie just in time for the car to pull up so I grabbed all my stuff and went out. I realized half-way to the Airport that I left my pillow, my wonderful amazing side-sleeper pillow, at Mikie's which depressed me and really should have been a sign.

There was a huge line-up at the Airport so I ducked into the washroom, changed my shirt & undies in the stall, and headed to the check-in thing. Luckily I got pulled into the shorter line and made it through security relatively okay (though there was a very thorough search through the carry-on - we found the other energy drink Mikie but nothing else luckily!). Here's the clincher. So, the plan was to meet up with Warren and his girl-friend on their way home since we were on the same flight. But, they were not on my flight. In fact as it turned out there were 2 separate 7:00 flights leaving from Winnipeg to Vancouver. I happened to be on the Air Canada one and they were on the Westjet one. So, I was about 20-30 minutes later than them, and therefore missed them at the Vancouver end since they could not find me on the flight they thought I would be on.

I had realized this possibility but had this visual of us all meeting up at the baggage area happy & laughing and then me going home...So, as the reality hit and all the people from their flight were leaving from the baggage area I calmly got my luggage and went and asked an Info person to direct me to some info about the Greyhound bus or West Coast Express since those had been my other options. But, it turns out the West Coast Express never runs on a Saturday (I guess that was just for the Olympics) and she wasn't sure about the Greyhound schedule. Since I'm not so great with travel issues I proceeded to tear-up and start crying like a big baby. So I tried to calm myself and went to use the phone to try to see if my White Rock friend was home. If she didn't answer then I would just find my way to the sky-train station and try not to fall over at the bus station due to the excess Christmas chocolate and cabbage buns in my luggage. Luckily she answered and she picked me up. I have to say I cried the entire time I waited though. I occasionally broke out of my self-pity and would think about funny or pleasant times from the trip but my mind always ended up back at the here & now & how lame I am. This has sealed the deal on owning a cell phone. With a cell phone none of that would have happened - at the very least there would have been contact, perhaps actual confirmation of airlines maybe and less crying at the very least. The highlight is I got Borscht (good Ukrainian borscht - not weird Menno-borscht which is really just soup with beets in it, no offense but it should just be called 'soup' then, that's all I'm saying) and I was able to totally bitch and have a pity party on the drive back which was therapeutic.

On the home front, I have discovered that Hal now goes on top of the kitchen cabinets. This is what will happen with approximately 2 weeks of boredom. Pics of my adventures to follow!