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!

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!