No work... what to do?

This week I have no work. I start a new job on Monday so I have the whole week to catch up on things which I think is very much needed in my life right now. I've been trying to find different tasks to tackle to get myself back on track. My house is so disorganized and things are completely out of place. Maybe if my house was in order my mind would follow. Hmm....

Yesterday I started cleaning here and there and starting to realize just what a big job I have ahead of me. I'm trying to stay focused though and come up with ideas. I have some thoughts on how to clean up my home business office and make it more inviting for my creative juices to flow.

I just finished mowing the back lawn and I broke the mower. Oops! Luckily it's just a missing screw and BF was aware of the problem and will fix asap so I can mow the front lawn too. Mowing the grass is exhausting but I enjoy it a lot.

The good news is I'll be able to blog more and read other people's blogs.

The bad news is BF has his new motorbike parked in our living room until he secures one of the back sheds. Oh, and he has parts and all sorts of man things all over the dining room table. *sigh

September TCOB Review

September sucked. I'm so looking forward to a healthy and progressive October! So now lets look at the nasty details!

First for the PF goals: None completed. I can hopefully catch up in October.

1. Pay student loan under $1500
2. Add $50 to EFUND
3. Add $50 to Australia Fund
4. Save $200 towards BF birthday Fund

Now for the Personal Goals:

1. Visit my sister at least twice in the hospital
2. Go mini golfing with my brother and BF
3. Have at least 2 just ME days
   
4. Start new job
5. Enjoy two family game nights
6. Send my two of my best friends an I love you card made by hand.

Well I did a lot better on my personal goals than the finance but I'm happy with the results. I've been so stressed the last little while that I've really needed to step back and connect with people and things that are important to me again. I think this is more rewarding in my opinion. Hopefully October will see me back on track in the finance department. Yay me!

New Job on Monday

I stopped going to the second hand store. It was completely fucked. I am not going to tell you what made me finally leave without the full two weeks but that I am so happy I did. I'm not sure how much I'm going to write about employment on my blog anymore. While most readers are very supportive, some comments piss me off and dwell in my brain which pisses me off even more.

It's very easy to read a blog post and judge somebody off 300 words isn't it?

Good Bye Telemarketers!

If you are a victim of annoying telemarketer calls you don't have to worry anymore because the Do Not Call List is ready for Canadians as of today. I took the liberty of tracking down the info for everybody for consumers. I have copied the information right from the site and pasted it here but if you want to go to the original site and find out other information here's the link.

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Key facts for consumers

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) is designed to reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls and faxes Canadians receive.

1. How to register?

• You can register your home phone, cellular or fax number(s) on the National DNCL.
• Signing up is simple, quick and free. You can sign up online at www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca or by calling the toll-free numbers 1-866-580-DNCL (1-866-580-3625) or 1-888-DNCL-TTY (1-888-362-5889).
• Once you have signed up, many telemarketers can no longer call you starting 31 days after your registration.
• You must renew your registration every three years if you want your number(s) to stay on the National DNCL.

2. Who can still call you?

• Registering on the National DNCL will reduce but not eliminate all telemarketing calls and faxes.
• There are certain kinds of telemarketing calls and faxes that are exempt from the National DNCL, including those made by or on behalf of:

• registered charities seeking donations
• newspapers looking for subscriptions
• political parties and their candidates, and
• companies with whom you have an existing commercial relationship; for example, if you have done business with a company in the previous 18 months––such as a carpet-cleaning company––that company can call you.

• Telemarketers making exempt calls must maintain their own do not call lists. If you do not want to be called by these telemarketers, you can ask to be put on their do not call lists. They are obliged to do so within 31 days.
• For more information, see Part II of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules and the Telecommunications Act.

3. Market research, polls and surveys

• You will continue to receive calls from organizations conducting market research, polls or surveys even though you are registered on the National DNCL. These are not considered telemarketing calls because they are not selling a product or service, or requesting donations.

4. Rules telemarketers must follow when they call

• Among other things, telemarketers must:

• identify who they are and, upon request, provide you with a fax or telephone number where you can speak to someone about the telemarketing call
• display the telephone number that they are calling from or that you can call to reach them, and
• only call or send faxes between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekends.

• Telemarketers must not use Automatic Dialing and Announcing Device (devices that dial telephone numbers automatically and deliver a pre-recorded message). However, these devices can be used by police and fire departments, schools and hospitals, as well as for appointment reminders and thank you calls.
• For more information, see Part III and Part IV of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules.

5. Complaints

• Complaints about telemarketers can be made through the National DNCL website (www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca) or by calling the toll-free numbers 1-866-580-DNCL (1-866-580-3625) or 1-888-DNCL-TTY (1-888-362-5889).
• Types of complaints can include receiving a call even though you have registered on the National DNCL, receiving a call outside of permitted calling hours, a telemarketer who does not put your name and number on their do not call list, or any other violation of the rules.
• When making a complaint, remember that you must provide information such as the date of the call and the name or telephone number of the telemarketer.
• The CRTC will investigate complaints and can penalize telemarketers found to be in violation of any of the CRTC’s Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules.
• The CRTC can levy penalties of up to $1,500 for an individual and up to $15,000 for a corporation, for each violation.

Date Modified: 2008-09-30

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Say goodbye to tripping over things running for the phone just to get a blast of fog horn in your ear because you've just won a free trip! Yeah right! LEAVE ME ALONE! I pay to have phone service... not to be harassed.

Hope this helps everyone out!

Family Weekend

This weekend BF is on the mainland looking for a motorcycle to buy. Scratch that... he called me last night and said he found one. I was shocked he found one so quickly and purchased it like that but he seemed so excited I tried not to burst his bubble asking 1001 questions. He's very responsible with money and I trust he knows what he wants. Plus, he's the best bargain hunter I've ever seen. Supposedly he talked the guy down quite a bit so ... yay to the power of negotiation!

I gravitated to my family to keep me company and out of the house for the weekend. Yesterday my parents and I spent some time shopping ( I only spent $5-6 the whole time). Then we went for lunch at a great restaurant up island and my share with tip was $18. After that we stopped in at Coombs were temptation was high for me. I LOVE COOMBS!! I managed to get through the market unscathed but then I found my lover pecan caramel corn and I spent another $6.

On the way home we stopped in at my grandfathers. We drove by his new home being built and gave him some updates. The home burned down in February. We are hoping it will be done by xmas but there are no guarantees. Then we went back to my parents and everyone pitched in some food to make a delicious dinner.

Now I'm off to drop off some resumes and spend some time with my youngest brother. BF should be back later tonight around 7pm I'm hoping. I really miss him a lot and it was kind of creepy coming home to an empty house last night.

BEING TWENTY - SOMETHING

Tue, 17 Feb 2004 is the date stamp on the oldest email in my Hotmail inbox. It was an email from my best fried E. Here is the email she sent me. I hope it inspires or clicks with one of my readers. Twenty something or not.

The email:
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BEING TWENTY - SOMETHING

They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.

You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

Send this to your twenty-something friends...maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion........



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Creativity... I miss you

I feel like I'm all turned upside down lately. I feel pressured financially and my brain is already packed and gone to Australia. How will I ever survive the next year? I feel so icky all the time. Then today it hit me as I was staring out the window. Where has my creativity gone?

I used to come up with fun and wacky ideas all the time. Money schemes and party fiestas... you name it I was the brain behind it. Now, I feel like a well all dried up. My friends and family all come to me when it comes to planning a party. I'm in charge of the guest lists, contacting people, setting up the menu, directing people on what to bring... etc. It's made me wonder if my passion for these kinds of things should lead me in another direction.

I really enjoy cooking and have toyed with the idea of taking classes or a course to improve my skills and overall knowledge of the food world. I can see myself running a catering business or seniors meals program down the road. I always dreamed of having a restaurant of my own but the hours and stress seem a little too much. I have already helped somebody open a restaurant (my sister) and I know its no joke!

So today I had this idea spark into my head just like the good old days and I was off in lala land scheming again. I have an idea that I would like to implement as a trial run for a preteen/teen cooking class. I'm calling out to all my blogger family for some fun, easy, healthy recipes. If you've got em.. I want em! I have some ideas to make the whole thing work. Maybe I'm just going crazy off this one idea and it will soon fad away but I'm going to try to not let that happen. The only way to get the ball rolling is to do something for myself.

So please... any ideas?

It's Chilly in Here

Oh no! The time has come that BF and I hate the most. It's time to... turn on the heat. It started last night. I've been complaining the last few days its been cold and have been piling on the sweaters and slippers to avoid turning it on. When I broke out the blanket to watch TV I knew it would have to come sooner or later. Last night BF (the human heater) finally broke down and admitted he too was cold. Yes! I turned on the heat. After a few hours of the heat being on I decided to bake a lasagna and turn the heat off. The house was plenty warm to get us through the evening.

Today I'm home all alone and its freezing. Its ok to be bundled up in a blanket in front of the computer but when I went downstairs for leftovers it was freezing down there. On goes the heat again. We have company coming tonight so I've got to keep it warm in here and I don't want to catch a chill cleaning house, lol.

Anyone else had to turn on the heat yet?

Playing Hookey

Today I am playing hookey from work. I woke up and my wrist was hurting pretty bad. I decided it was from tagging 4ooo garments yesterday at the store and decided to call in. I was getting shooting pains into my elbow last night. My supervisor was fine with it.

I talked to my old boss today who said that I am more than welcome to come back but that she wants to keep me employed there until October of next year when I go to Australia. Hmm... well I'm not sure how keen I am on that so we'll have to see how things go. She also asked for me to have a letter she is drafting explaining the range of movement of my job signed by my doctor. I really don't think my doctor would have a problem with this. If the carpel tunnel did act up badly I guess I could always quit. We did talk about some alternatives such as wrist braces, specific exercises and a small magnetic tool I can use to minimize some of the strain on my wrist during work. I told her I would book an appointment which can take some time with my doctor. The letter should be ready sometime tomorrow afternoon.

I don't know... seems like a lot of big commitments. Should I just look for something else and tell her I wasn't comfortable with the letter. I mean if I do get hurt at work will this affect me being able to go to WCB? I want to keep good relations with this boss so I will think it over during the next week while I'm being tortured at my current job. I'm kind of thinking I should be on the hunt for something else if this is the case. I've been looking but there is nothing out there right now. I talked this over with my best friend and she too had noticed this so I'll have to be careful with my next move.

Any thoughts?

12days to go!!!

Enough is Enough

Today I quit :)

Yay for me!

I was responsible about it though. I started yesterday by sending a Face.book msg to my old carpool buddy asking if she would still be interested in carpooling if I was to come back. She msged me back almost instantly and said she would definitely love that.

Today I was planning to call my old employer since things were really shitty but I forgot the number. By the time first break rolled around I was so desperate to get out of there I called BF at work who searched the number online for me. I called and spoke to my boss' husband who said they would love to have me back and to call back later to speak to his wife.

I called later on and she was very happy to hear from me and said she just had to check with her office that it would be okay but other than that they would be more than delighted to have me back. I was careful to tell her it may only be temporary. She told me she expected me to give proper notice to my new boss and that she would call me tomorrow after she spoke to the front office.

I knew I was supposed to wait until tomorrow to quit but I couldn't. I bit my tongue until after last break (each break was very busy on my cell, lol) when I was just about to bite the head off a customer. I thought... I can't wait. Even if I don't get back on at my old employer I've got to get the f@ck out of here!! I asked my manager if we could have a private chat when she was not busy. Turns out she wasn't busy.

We had a sit down in a private room and I spilled the beans. I told her "I'm just going to be very straight forward and honest". She loved that. We really are very similar people. So these are the points I made:

• The reason I had wanted a job in production was to avoid the public. This job has me out with the customers half the working day, which is not something I like or that will change.
• I can deal with rude or aggressive customers because they are sick (pharmacy) but I will not take crap from the a$$holes who shop in this particular store.
• I miss my old coworkers and I find that not all the staff are very friendly
• We talked in length about a specific worker that she's already had plans to do something about.
• Then I told her I am just plain unhappy. I told her its affecting my moods and people have noticed. I haven't felt creative in a week and with only one year until Australia I just want to be happy in BC as I may go to Quebec for a few years once I come back.
  
• Lastly I told her I had already called my former employer and had made arrangements to return to my old job once I had completed whatever time frame she needed me for to find a replacement.

She took everything really well. She said that she was sad because she really liked me a lot as a person and was really excited about having me as one her team members. Then she told me about her personal experiences that related to what I was going through which helped a lot. She told me that no bridges had been burned and there were no bad feelings. Then she actually commended me on being so honest about the entire situation. (Honesty is always the best policy). THEN she told me.... she expected 2 weeks notice out of me as a professional courtesy to give her time to bring somebody in and train them. In return she promised to reduce my time in the public area of the store to as much of a minimum as possible while I finished my time there.

Whew! Let the countdown begin!!! (Its going to be darn hard to last two weeks!!!! *sigh)



14 days to go!! 0/14