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!

How Fabulous Is My Grammie?

This is her with my grandfather. I am SO in love with this photo!!

Long Weekend

For such beautiful weekend weather, it seemed cloudy to me. My dad called me on Saturday morning, and when I saw it was his cell phone on my caller ID, I knew something was wrong. My brain was scanning every possibility in the seconds before I answered. Well, I was right. He proceeded to tell me that my gramma was in the hospital ICU. She has had some complications with medication, and is now basically in a medical induced coma. The flood of emotion was immediate and strong. I got down on my knees and prayed for her protection. Because of my faith, I don't think death is a bad thing, it releases the soul to move forward. If she is hurting or in pain or miserable, then I just pray that she is comforted. I want god to watch over and protect her. I love her so much. From what my parents told me, we should know a bit more on Wednesday.

I had already made plans with Sarah to go to her friend's apt. for a BBQ. What a small world it is. Sarah is from New Zealand, and this is a friend of hers from there that now lives here, and just 1 block from my apt. I held back the tears long enough to go and have a bite to eat, but I had such a headache I had to bow out early.

As for the rest of the weekend, I couldn't focus on my reading for work, so I just took some long walks and relaxed. My friend was in town for the NFL draft, and his time freed up pretty late on Sunday, but since I'm not working, I decided to meet him out. We ended up at a place that's normally a restaurant, but last night we drank wine and danced to middle eastern/greek/hip hop/punjab/house music while girls danced on top of the bar and tables. It was a very strange but really fun scene.

It's Monday now, and I've sent out resumes, made some calls, booked 2 meetings for tomorrow, and I have a webinar tonight at 8pm.

Now I'm off to go print up some business materials and go knock out 60 minutes of cardio.

P.S. If anyone out there has a spare moment, could you please pray for my grammie?

Head in the Clouds

Ahh, another week gone by.

Well I met with yet another recruiter today, then spoke with someone else and scheduled a phone interview for Tuesday. I took a different route by going to actual company websites and applying for positions or just sending my resume to HR asking them to keep it on file. Well, one of them called and we'll see what happens.

What I'm even MORE excited about is starting my own company (again). I'm going to file next week for my fictitious name and I'm still researching and deciding on names. On Monday, I have my final webinar with the company who is hiring my services. I will be representing an ESCO, or energy service company. If you have, for example, Con Ed or National Grid here in NY, then you pay the utility a set amount per therm of gas, in addition to sales tax/fees, etc... Since deregulation, gas can be purchased at a lower rate and without sales tax. Your gas is still delivered through Con Ed, and you get the same bill and service, but just pay a lower amount. Seems like a no brainer to me. I will be making presentations to business owners or facilities or property managers. It's an exciting opportunity and can be very lucrative.

It's also an exciting day because my friend is in town from L.A. to work the NFL Draft. I haven't seen him since last year's draft, so I look forward to Sunday (unless he scores me some actual tickets).

It's going to be 88 degrees this weekend, so that's even more motivation to crack the whip at the gym. I feel a renewed motivation and will keep everyone updated on my progress. I feel like when I post my accomplishments, it makes me more accountable.

Also, check out the ads on my page for discount health plans. They're available in virtually EVERY state. If you or someone you know needs dental or medical coverage at a low rate, don't hesitate to contact me through the sites posted. The inquiry will go directly to me. I use the plan myself, and I'll tell you it's already saved me over $200.

Hasta Luego folks!

Footnote: I'm craving oysters like crazy!

Pure Energy

I've had a busy few days (all things considered). On Monday I decided to start selling discount health plans, they also give me a free plan to use myself, so that's pretty cool too. It's for a company I've done business with before about 10 years ago. I think I resigned my business after about 4 months. I was young, unmotivated and the internet was NOTHING like it is now. It was a tough gig for me. Well, the internet has CHANGED from 10 years ago and there is no more cold calling, yay!!

On top of that I did have an in-person interview on Monday. I was pretty much spot on in my last blog. I think my cost (even coming down 20k from my last job) was out of their range. Fine. What can I do? Roll with the punches, girl! So I jumped on the subway and went to the gym.

I've been doing a lot of training calls and reading before I start selling, my estimation is to begin before the weekend.

I've also been researching another industry that I'm on the verge of working with and had a webinar with them tonight. It's a pretty exciting opportunity. I suppose opportunities are what you make of them. I will have to incorporate, so if you can think of any good names for me ( and don't be cheeky! ) then by all means, let me know!

People have been saying "good luck" to me lately with all of these ideas, but what is good luck anyway? In the sense of these businesses, sales, I'm not sure if it's luck that I need necessarily. What I need is the motivation and the desire to better my circumstances. What I need is the drive to say I don't NEED to work FOR someone. I can figure out my own way. Don't get me wrong, the resumes are still going out daily, but I can guarantee you that even if I get a "full time job", I will still be working with the other businesses. I will not do this again. I refuse to be caught in a cross fire. I will do any and everything to insure that even if I'm working with another person or company in an office or home situation, that if I lose the job, it will not have an impact on my life. I will be able to flow.

I also went to see Disney's EARTH movie today. I've been looking forward to it since I saw the trailer for it about 6 months ago. I loved it and it makes me happy that they are going to plant a tree in the Brazilian Rainforest for every ticket purchased during the first week of release.

So, on to another day tomorrow and looking forward to the HOT weekend.

Au Revoir!

The First Day of the Rest of the Week

I woke up to disappointment. The first call of the day was to let me know that the *dream job* from last week isn't even going to continue interviewing for another 2 weeks, and by then the direct HR rep will have seen around 20 people. Basically I can count on that one to be a "no go". It sucked. So I lay in bed for a few minutes and then decided to get up and make the most of the rest of the day.

A little over 10 years ago when I was out of work I decided to do one of the many at-home-business-opportunities. It lasted about 4 months and I opted out. It was a lot of cold calling and I wasn't really seeing any $ coming in. Fast forward to today. I came across the same company, but now MUCH more internet forward and no cold calling. It honestly sounds like a great opportunity, so I decided to sign up this morning. I spoke with a rep there for about 30 minutes, and I should be up and running by tomorrow. I have done some calculations already, and I'm hoping that in 3-4 years, I'm making around 125k from that business alone, and any other full or part time work I do can be additional income. What I really hope, is that within 4 years I can support myself well on that income alone, so I'm able to do eco-tourism and volunteer my time to important causes.

I have a phone interview for a full time position at 3:30pm today. We'll see what happens. If I could find a full time job that even pays 2/3 my old salary, I think that would be great in addition to the work-at-home gig. WAY less stress. I'll have to see how the next few days play out.

I have to admit I'm a little worried about bills this month, but I'll use that concern to pound the pavement as hard as I can to get some more income. I need to push myself a little harder.

Recently and from different angles I've been talking to people who are or are thinking of moving abroad. I know one person who is moving to Spain next month and another looking to go to Paris. I'm really close to wanting to do the same thing. I feel I'm close to being ready to shake things up a bit again, but I also know I have to be responsible about it. I think I might be even more of a free spirit than I thought.

The weather here was SO beautiful this past weekend. I went to the gym both days and took long walks and hung with some friends. Unfortunately today is raining and cold. Perfect for getting some work done, so off I go!

Ciao!

Happy Saturday!

What a gorgeous day here in NYC! It’s so refreshing to have the sun after the long winter.

I’ve already sent out a few resumes, had some steak and eggs for breakfast, and now I’m heading out for some sun in Central Park, then off to the gym. Have to enjoy this sunshine while it’s here (it’ll be gone tomorrow). Speaking of the gym, I’ve re-dedicated myself to working out again. Better yet, to getting myself healthy again. Since losing my job, I have maybe gained……… a few pounds. I call it “unemployment weight”. You know, the sedentary way of life caused by lack of anywhere to GO during the day? I’ve sort of faced myself in the mirror (yuck) and decided that enough is enough. I tossed out all the crap in my kitchen and went grocery shopping with the copious amount of money I receive weekly from unemployment insurance. It’s one part of my life that I CAN control right now, so why not look at it as a job until I get one that actually pays.

I did get an email last night about a phone interview for Monday afternoon. I have no idea what it’s about, except that it’s an apparel company looking for an office manager. Not sure about the salary or any other specs, but really, if it’s more than I receive from unemployment, I’m pretty much game.

I’m off to relax in the sun. Au revoir kiddies!

** P.S. Subscribe to my blog! Ask your friends to subscribe. Maybe they’ll know, or know of someone who knows of a good opportunity for me!

Hello Spring!

Wow. I should've started writing this blog 4 months ago, but alas, here I am in April. Better late than never!

So - I've now been unemployed for *gasp* 4 months and 16 days. I guess one could argue that I did have a 'temporary job' for 3 1/2 weeks in March (though it's something I think I'd rather forget).

Time to put it all out in the open. I was laid off on December 1st, 2008. Like many people who had seemingly stable jobs, I never thought this would happen to me. I was completely blindsided. I had 4 hours of panic and hysteria, then got on the internet, revamped my resume and sent out around 50. Problem was, NO ONE hires in December, it's holiday season! My first 6 weeks of unemployment, there were literally no jobs open.

I decided to go and visit my parents in California and take a few days off from the stress. It was a great week. I was able to see my best friend from high school and play in the snow a little. When I got back it was more of the same. After January 6th was when I could finally start looking. It was VERY slow. I had a few interviews in January, a few in February, and one landed me a full time job to begin on March 6th. I won't really get into it, those who already know, know. Those who don't can use their imaginations. It lasted 3 1/2 weeks and ended when I contracted bacterial pneumonia somehow.

Now it's April and I'm pounding the pavement yet again, day after day, basically willing to do anything. It's scary, I know a lot of people in my position. People who had money in the bank, people who made a really good salary. People who were NOT expecting this to happen to "them". We went from traveling, living life comfortably, to putting a freeze on all our credit cards and praying we can figure out how to make rent this month. I believe with all my heart that trying times are to test our strength. Things happen for a reason, to make us stronger and to teach us or remind us what we might have forgotten.

It's beautiful outside now. I took a long walk today by the East River in between phone calls and emails and e-searching for my next gig. It's spring, I feel it, and it feels good. I have, for the most part, stayed pretty positive during this whole experience. Certainly I have my times where I just want to scream, but I try and keep this all in check and redirect the emotions in other ways.

I had some good interviews this week, one in particular I'm praying day and night that I get. It's a dream job really. Decent salary, incredible benefits, and NICE people. DREAM!

I think I'll end on that happy note and continue at a later date.

Ciao Kiddies!