Life - Part II

So now it's mid-July and I'll let you in on what's happened in the past few weeks. For one thing, the weather has sucked. On another note, I've been interviewing for a position for a family and got through 2 interviews. The woman, from now on we'll call her FRAN, wanted me to come work one night after work and 1 full day so I agreed. Since I'm freelancing, I have a LITTLE freedom. I worked a full 9 hour day down on Wall Street, then shot up to Midtown and worked an additional 3 hours. The next day was 9:15am-8:30pm. I thought everything went well, and I was a little excited about getting an offer. That night walking home, I just started crying. I miss having a job in my normal profession. It had felt so good to work those few days and I realized how unhappy I was with my day job. (Or it could've been hormones).

The next day I got an email about various "concerns" that Fran had. From my experience, "concerns" are really nothing to be concerned about. They are voiced when the potential employer decides they aren't sure what they really want or need. For instance, one of my items in feedback was that I was "such a pleasure in the home, but so lovely, in fact, that I'm not sure how she'd be managing the staff". Okay, let's get something straight here, I've been managing staff for, hmmm, 12 years give or take?! I've never had one issue or problem with it, in fact I've always had pretty great experiences with staff. They call on me to this day for referrals. I let it irritate me for a moment, then after various other questions, I decided that I was no longer even going to hope for the job. If they're picking it apart with ridiculous issues, then I don't even care anymore.

Once I said, thank you for the interview, and wished them good luck with the hiring process, they called me back asking if I'd work for her part time for the summer. See, there's construction going on in their apartment, so they're moving out to LI for the summer. In my excitement for adding income and potentially setting myself up for a full time job with them come September, I agreed. When I got home, I started to have second thoughts. Can I really commute 45 mins each way for a 9 hour job 5 days a week, then work an additional 16-24 hours on top of it? In the light of day, it doesn't seem super realistic.

So this all happened last Thursday. It's Sunday now, and my cleaning lady is here doing a complete overhaul of my apartment. It feels GREAT. I've done 2 loads of laundry already and my apartment is getting SO CLEAN. The only thing I have to work on is my desk and finishing laundry. YUCK. I'm going to make an attempt to do the things Fran gave me to do, and see how it goes, but if I start getting too overwhelmed, then I'm going to have to just call it a day and let fate take me where I'm supposed to go. I do have an interview tomorrow morning before work, and I'm in line for another position as well. we'll see if either of those pan out.

I'll end this on a high note. I'm still optimistic, I still have faith that all will REALLY work out in the end for me. My cleaning lady just finished, my apartment is sparkling and I'm going to go get ready to meet Chris and a bunch of other people to go see BRUNO at Kip's Bay.

Que Belle Journee!

Life - Part I

I I think I've been putting off blogging for a little while because I've been too overwhelmed. Then so many things happened that I didn't even know if I could blog about that much. So I decided to blog in a few parts. This, clearly, is Part I.

After I was hired by the tech firm, I took a quick break and went to Las Vegas to see Alecia, get some sun and let off some steam.

I arrived on Saturday evening on time and was ready to get the evening started. We went over to Diablo's for margaritas and Mexican food. We sat at the bar and ordered a pitcher, and a (very) drunk guy was sitting at the end of the bar. He proceeded to try and chat up Alecia, and next thing we knew, our pitchers, dinners, everything was paid for. The manager must've seen that he was pretty inebriated and came over to make sure the drunk wasn't bothering us too much. When I looked up at the exchange, I realized the manager was a friend of mine I haven't seen, and rarely spoken to, since I moved from L.A. to NYC! It was soooooooooo cool to see him. He got us a great table and after we were done, we headed off to finish an evening of drinking.

We had some great sushi, relaxed by some pools and saw the Criss Angel show "Believe" at the Luxor. Then I was ready to get back to New York and start on my new path.

After about a week of working I realized that maybe this wasn't the position I had hoped it would be. Sure it was a possible new path for me and I'm open to that, but I guess working for 30% of the salary I made last year was a bit of a blow to the ego. Of course, the possibility lies within me to raise my income through the sales, but I'm not sure if this is the type of work I'm supposed to be doing. I have kept sending out resumes since I began there, and I guess you'll read how that's going in the next 'part'. The great thing about at least making a little more $ than when on unemployment, is I have a little more freedom to socialize. For example, Julie and I got GREAT tickets to see Britney Spears in August. SO EXCITED for that! I know, do I think I'm 12 years old?? LOL.

When It Rains It Pours

Wow, what a day!! I just got back from Wall Street, where I had an interview earlier this afternoon. Originally it was for a part time assistant role to the owner of a technology company. By the time I left, it had become a p/t sales, p/t network marketing coordinator, p/t project manager, p/t PA position, which equals 1 full time job. The money on the outset isn't fantastic, but what attracted me was the opportunity. The base salary itself won't be the bulk of my pay after 3-4 months. I'll be making residual income on my sales which will eventually put me above what I was making at my last full time position where I put in a minimum of 50 hours per week. The partners I met were awesome, and I'm really looking forward to learning a lot. I start next Thursday!

I was online yesterday and put an airline ticket (using my miles) to Vegas on hold. I had it in my head that I was getting this job, no matter what. I did! So today I paid the fees on it and I head out on Saturday, FIRST CLASS! I'll be staying with Alecia, so basically my airline ticket and place to stay total $100!! I'm REALLY looking forward to recharging and letting off some steam and soaking up some sun before heading back to full time work. All of this is so exciting!! On top of that, my Scottish girls are in Vegas right now too!!!

Everything always works out in the end, I had faith that I just had to keep pressing on and the right opportunity would find me. What's funny, is that during my interview today, I received 7, yes SEVEN voicemails regarding other jobs. I thought about it for a minute, and decided to decline them. I like the people at this job and it seems like a great opportunity to make something really big happen. If I threw that out the window for a "possibility", I'd never recover.

SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!!

See you Saturday Alecia!!

Song of Happiness

I have to admit it, today didn't start out on a great note. Yesterday afternoon's mail brought me a 3 ton boulder of stress on my shoulders and a 15 foot knot of rope in my stomach, at least that's what it felt like. I woke up this morning and actually shed some tears for the first time in a long time. Logically I know it's okay to cry once in awhile but I guess I've been trying to hold it in and keep pushing forward with my head to the ground and I figured once I had actual income, I'd let myself "let it all out" once and for all. I broke this morning.

My friend Lisa is getting married today on St. Thomas and I couldn't be there, I sent in my paperwork to sell my 401k and got a letter from Unemployment about my benefits being close to over. I could go on.

But after a lovely protein shake and a shower, I decided today was the day. I was actually feeling somewhat confident despite my tears. First off, I received a call about a great part time job that is hiring this week that I'm HOPING for. Then I got ready, got dressed in a nice business outfit, packed up my marketing materials and set out to go business to business for Energy Depot. My friend *we'll call him CC* is in sales, so he gave me some really useful pointers. He told me to hit 10 businesses. Just 10, and see how I feel. Well, I surpassed it and hit 22! Since I mainly hit restaurants, a lot of owners weren't there during the day. I got the times when they WOULD be and will go back tomorrow and hopefully speak to most if not all of them. I did, however, get one appointment for tomorrow afternoon! I also got a "come back next week" thing. My friend works at that business, so hopefully it pays off. Even though I didn't speak to a lot of owners and make actual presentations, I feel good that I was able to walk into businesses and get that out of the way. Throughout the day I texted CC and he told me to power on. So I did. I feel pretty good even though I didn't make an actual sale today.

I'm back at home now resting my weary feet and getting ready to go see "Tibet In Song", winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, with my friend Jevon. He offered to treat, bless his heart. I'm skipping Satsang tonight to see it.

We'll see what tomorrow holds!!

Job Listing of the Day

It seems like 2 out of every 10 resumes I send out on Craigslist ads are now fake phishing ads. Really, are you expecting me to believe THIS is an actual job? "Receive my mails"???? Can he not read his own email? What are we to do with these "mails"? LAME!

WORK FROM HOME (NEW YORK)

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Reply to:see below
Date: 2009-06-01, 12:24PM EDT

Seekers

I am looking for someone who can offer me these services:

Receive My Mails

Ray Robinson

Ray.robinson1@yahoo.com

• Location: NEW YORK
• Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

HuMMMMus and Girl Time

I love this girl. I can't believe this pic was 3 years ago!! So it's a beautiful 76 degrees today here in New York City. I could NOT sleep last night, or this morning for that matter. So I figured I'd get up and start my morning routine. Visit all the job sites and send out about 30 resumes.

Julie came in from Staten Island today to hang out. I really miss her living on the UES. She brought her adorable little poodle Chloe, whom I've never met before since she couldn't have her in the city. PRECIOUS! First we went to grab lunch at Hummus Kitchen, the best hummus in NYC hands down. She told me all about her upcoming wedding and life in SI (ick, sorry Jules!). Then, of course, I yapped to her about my business (Energy Depot) and shoved some biz cards and information in her hand to distribute in SI to businesses that she or her fiance know of. Yay networking! We finished up with some Turkish coffee and then took Chloe over to the dog park at Carl Schurz on the East River. I fell in love a tiny bit with a little Maltese. Chloe was so exhausted she couldn't even fetch the ball toward the end of the day so we headed back home.

Catching up with 2 GREAT girlfriends this weekend that I haven't spent time with in such a long time has me feeling pretty blessed.

Reinvigorated! (What a big word for such a tiny blog)

I just had the best evening I've had in awhile. I'm a little amped, so I figured I'd take a few minutes to blog out everything on my mind.

My friend Natalia got me signed up with a focus group tonight that paid $20 (don't laugh, it's more than I've earned in the past month, LOL). I told my friend Moira, who I haven't seen in MONTHS, and she was down to do it too and then do dinner after to catch up.

The focus group was simple, lasted about an hour, and afterward we went to grab some sushi. (Celeb sighting - Dawnn Lewis from that show A Different World with Lisa Bonet, remember her?) I heard all about what Moira's dealing with right now personally and professionally, and I guess there really wasn't much to update her on about my situation... except for the business I started (and have been procrastinating upon). She was actually excited about it. That, in turn, renewed my excitement. She even wants to join the business too! We started tossing around ideas and came up with the plan to form a partnership. I think we're both at the ends of our collective ropes about working for other people and we're ready to branch out and be successful for ourselves instead of just making money for everyone else.

I'm already in the process of setting up my work schedule for next week, and now that I've BLOGGED it too, I literally have no excuse. I know she'll hold me accountable too, which helps immensely. I think maybe feeding off each other and reminding each other about the pay off will help so much with the success of the business. We've already begun devising plans of action.

After meditation and chanting last night, I was feeling refreshed spiritually, and after tonight I'm feeling refreshed for work action.

I'm not sure if anyone listened to the radio show I was on this morning. I wasn't particularly impressed with the suggestions given to me by the Life Coach. The 2 items of 'homework' I was given were, and I'm not meaning to be hypercritical here, irrelevant. I was told I should #1 see a therapist about my depression - no shit Sherlock - but who exactly is footing the bill? I'M UNEMPLOYED REMEMBER?? The 2nd piece of advice was to make a list of things to do daily including work - umm, she obviously does not know me, I'm the QUEEN of list making. I'm a personal assistant for goodness sake's. I'm a compulsive list maker, I have lists ALL over my apartment. On my wall, in my Blackberry, in Outlook, written in notebooks, and it's gotten me nowhere so far. Wow, that sounded a little OCD huh?

Anyway, enough about that. Moira has become my new life coach for now. (Don't tell her that she could be charging me!!)

Strength

I guess this entry, and this week, is about strength and persistence. The ability to keep going and be positive even though god has thrown a 2 ton burning pile of shi* in my path.

Where do I begin? Well I have been calling the unemployment office for 2 days trying to get a reservation for a certain class that was tonight. That's the only way you can get in. I'm going to try again to get a real estate license and let NY pay for it. I found out there's another class next week in the morning that doesn't require a reservation, so I'm going to show up and pray they let me in. If not, I'll go in anyway.

Then, one of the jobs I've been interviewing for. Two interviews each almost 2 hours long. I had my 2nd interview last Thursday. They told me they'd call me Saturday to let me know. Nothing. I finally decided to call them today to find out the status. Turns out they hired a friend of theirs to do the job, and if it doesn't work out they'll give me a call. GEE THANKS! Could they maybe have figured that out BEFORE wasting my time? I can't stand inconsiderate people.

You know, I've been able to sell this energy (Energy Depot - see below if I've lost you on this one) for a while now. And since I vowed to be honest in this blog, I'll admit I haven't done anything about it. Well that might be a BIT harsh. I've done the webinars, talked with reps, printed out materials, ordered biz cards, prep prep prep. I just haven't gone out and SOLD it. I've been at the point where I've gotten up and dressed and ready to go, briefcase full, and then just couldn't get out the door. Am I afraid of success? Afraid of failure? Or just AFRAID. I don't know!

I know I definitely have a self-confidence issue right now. But who wouldn't in my position? Laid off for 5 1/2 months with no income. To be honest, it's humiliating. My friends go out, go on trips, and I can't be a part of pretty much any of it. Believe me I don't blame THEM, I'm not here to point fingers, I'm just saying that I wish I could be doing all of those things too. It's spring/summer in NYC, the BEST!!! Hamptons, weekend trips, rooftop happy hours! It makes me sad.

I saw an ad on Craigslist a few weeks ago about a free Life Coach. I had taken the email address down but never made contact. Last night I finally wrote to her because I'm feeling so blocked. They contacted me this morning and I spoke to the producer for about 30 minutes. At the end, she invited me to be a guest on her radio show on Friday! How crazy is that? If you want to hear me humiliate myself, contact me and I'll give you the website address to catch the radio show streaming. I'll be on at 11:30am Eastern Time, but you can listen on the website at any time. Here's hoping she can give me that *push* I need!

All in all, I will not give up, I will get through this, I WILL come out on top.

Au Revoir!

Rawr!

I'm having an irritating Tuesday so far, and it's only 2pm! First of all, my LAKERS lost. Boo!

Last week I had a 4th, yes FOURTH interview at a law firm, and a 2nd interview for a well paying p/t job. I tried not to get too excited, but I thought for SURE I'd get one of them. I was feeling SO good and positive. I was realistic and kept sending out resumes and "working on things" though. I figured as it was a 4th interview on Wednesday afternoon, that they'd let me know before the long Memorial Day weekend. I waited. The phone didn't ring, and still hasn't. I called and left the HR rep a voicemail this morning, I thought calling was more personable than emailing. No response.

The p/t job I met with on Thursday afternoon, they told me they would call me on Saturday. Nothing.

Common sense says, if I can get to a 4th interview with a company, then I must be doing SOMETHING right. I obviously have a good resume, I interview well, I dress appropriately and I'm well spoken. I've learned to not interrupt and LISTEN during interviews and not talk too much. I'm always punctual. But I'm still not GETTING the jobs.

10 years ago when I was unemployed, I clearly remember driving to interviews or sitting in traffic, watching people walk down the street or sitting at a restaurant and wondering what they did for work, and how come they had a job and I didn't. I'm NOT falling into "poor me" mode, I PROMISE. But I guess today I'm frustrated. Because of that I slipped on the gym for a few days, but I'm on my way out right now to work on it.

Enough complaining. I will not give up, I will not lie down and let this take over. I will keep working hard, keep persisting, being proactive, trying to keep my mind busy and keep my body in the gym. I will NOT let this economy win.

Job Listing of the Day

Ivy League Temps - Outside Interests Welcomed

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Date: 2009-05-15, 5:57PM EDT
High Profile Hedge Fund seeks intelligent, resourceful, and motivated Ivy League graduates to provide administrative help to various areas of the firm. Positions are temp only. Candidates must have at least 1 year of administrative exp. Advanced MS Office required. Candidates with serious outside interests are strongly encouraged to apply. Please email resumes with GPA and SAT scores.
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Question: Do you REALLY need to be an Ivy League graduate to do TEMP ADMIN WORK??

Does THIS mean I'll be okay?

Friday, May 15, 2009, 12:47pm EDT

Feds fund $137M for NY unemployed

The Business Review (Albany)

New York state’s unemployment program will receive $137 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, officials said Thursday.

The largest portion of the funding — $120 million — will be used for unemployment benefits. The remainder will be dedicated to increasing staffing within the state Department of Labor, including call centers and technology improvements.

Unemployment in the Albany area was at 7.3 percent while the statewide level was 8.1 percent in March, according to the most recent report from the Department of Labor.

Back in Black (well, black workout gear)

I know, I know, haven't checked in for a bit. I'm back now!

First off, gramma is still in the hospital. I talked to her on Mother's Day and she is lucid, but I was still sad when I talked to her and had to rush off the phone because I was crying. I mailed her a letter the next day, and I have another one to mail tomorrow. I think they'll keep her cheered up while she's there.

My parents are currently on their way to Croatia from Greece (nice life, right?). I'm still unemployed, technically. I'm applying for jobs every day, but not hearing much. I did begin my other 2 businesses, so I'm reading and starting to get out there and sell.

I currently have no health insurance. Like 70% of Americans, I also don't have dental insurance. I'm working with AmeriPlan (the ads are on my page) to enroll Americans that need coverage with our plans. I couldn't afford COBRA, who can? I used the plan 10 years ago when I wasn't insured and it's great, I'm using it again now, and it lowered my Dr. visit a few weeks ago to $45 instead of $100. My prescription was lowered from $104 to $41. It covers vision/medical/dental/chiro/prescriptions.
Plans start at $19.95 for an entire household anywhere in the nation. Visit my site and tell everyone you know who might be under insured, or not insured at all. I can help them! http://mybenefitsplus.com/sjwaller.

I've been in the gym 5 days a week for 2 weeks now and eating really great. I'm starting to feel better already and I'm determined to get to the Caribbean in fall. That's my semi long-term goal with sales. My short term is just to pay my rent. Ugh!

Anyway, I'll be back in a few days to tell you about my first sale. I guarantee it!

Ciao babes!