An early birthday present

Chef took me to the beach today. It was the warmest day this week and nearly perfect weather. I mean, who can really complain if you're going to the beach in your swimsuit in January?

I say Chef took me because it was his idea to go today. The beach is my favorite place. He likes it, but not as much as I do. And really, the beach on a Thursday is awesome because it was pretty deserted. I got to work on some things and then lay in the sun. Get my daily dose of Vitamin D. And maybe get a little tan, but not too much.

I love the beach because it's one place where you can lay down and not be deemed a weirdo. Aside from a bed store, there aren't too many places you can do that and not raise an eyebrow. Well, unless you're homeless. Then you've pretty much got free reign to lay down anywhere without a lot of attention.

So, after a week of job interviews, working freelance on projects, taking volunteer phone calls, and trying to be a good partner around the house, I was ready for a day on the beach. I know that my life isn't all that stressful right now, but I have a feeling I'm going to need to cram in my relaxing while I've got a chance. And today was a great chance.

Now, I'm "off" the job hunt AND calorie counting tomorrow and Saturday for birthday celebrations. Chef got me a massage for Saturday morning and tomorrow is PIZZA DAY!! (Have I mentioned that I've been watching calories like a hawk and have lost 10 lbs in the 2 months that I've been here).

I'm a lucky girl. Not only do I have a good life, but I've got a partner who knows what I need --sometimes before I do!

Better today than yesterday. Isn't that what it should be?

I had another interview today and it went better than yesterday's. Despite Chef mocking me playfully about making sure I didn't say the wrong company name, I felt pretty good going into today's interview. I got a little nervous when I had a hard time finding parking, but I got in and got there in plenty of time.

Like most of my interviews, I was overdressed. I'm sure the employees were mocking me a little in my suit as they were kicking around in jeans and sneakers. Of course, that just made me want to work there more.

The place had a good vibe and the interview was one that I felt prepared for. Being prepared is the only thing I can control in these interviews. Being prepared and being on time. That's what I can do.

The one thing I will say is that I'm convinced my love of sports will help me out. I know that I'm unusual for my knowledge, especially being a girl, but I am pretty good at being able to gauge when to pull out my sports love and when to pull back.

As usual, I never really know what's going to happen. That's the crappy part. I only know that I can do what I can do and the rest will fall into place. I just feel lucky to be getting this much action from my job searching and to be getting some varied opportunities.

Thank you, everyone, for your support!

Sometimes You Get the Bear. Sometimes the Bear Gets You.

I thought I was prepared for my interview this morning. Based on my lack of experience interviewing in LA, I use my experience interviewing in Tennessee as my baseline. I had a weird phone interview a few weeks back, but I choose to think of that as the exception, not the rule.

Today wasn't really weird. It was for a PR/ Marketing position at a cosmetics company. Sounds pretty cool, right? Yeah, it sounded cool to me too. The only hitch in the giddy-up was that for whatever reason, I had a different company name stuck in my head. Same first name, different second name, but no excuse. When I did google searches to research the company, I had a hard time keeping it straight. It's like when you meet someone who reminds you of someone else and you call them by the name of the person they remind you of instead of their actual name.

Knowing this, I had said the company's name 10 times on my way to the interview to try and drive the wrong name out of my head. Despite all this, what was the first thing that popped out of my mouth? The wrong name, of course. Ugh.

Also, I was trying to make some small talk so I asked if he was off yesterday for the holiday. He replied "No. This is a small company. We don't get every holiday." And then I felt like an a-hole for asking, until he followed up with "Did you have yesterday off?".

"Well, I'm not currently employed and looking for a job, so I'm not really ever off," I said.

The rest of the interview consisted of a few questions about my background. It was scheduled for 30 minutes. I remember making those 30 minute weed out interviews well. All in all, I did my best, but sometimes you get a good vibe, sometimes a bad one, sometimes no vibe. I got a neutral vibe. It wouldn't surprise me if I wasn't brought in for the second round. It wouldn't surprise me if I was.

It's a coin toss. Isn't it always?

Tomorrow is another day with another interview. Keep those well wishes coming my way until I find my new work home.

The Ocean to my right, the hills to my left--Not too shabby

Today I was on the Pacific Coast Highway (aka PCH) for the first time. I was coming back from a job interview and got to take a coastal route home. I literally could've pulled off to the side of the road to dip my toes in the ocean. I should've, but I also wanted to get home to Chef. Plus we have a plan to go to the beach on Monday. It's supposed to be really nice weather and I've got to make use of my free afternoons while I can.

But just the afternoon. My morning will still be spent working on more resumes and researching. I have to keep with the routine because it's working. I got 2 more interviews scheduled for next week. Both were off of tailored letters I sent out this week. All in all, I feel like my days at home during the week are numbered. It's a nice feeling.

I had two interviews this week. One was in person and one via phone. The phone one was fine. Typical questions and I gave some succinct and truthful answers. The in-person one was actually three interviews in one. One with the hiring manager, one with a manager in the department and one with the VP of HR. The company seemed to have some interesting benefits and the vibe from the people was that they all really love working there.

The only thing I hate about interviewing on a Friday is that I always stick out like a sore thumb in my interview suit while everyone else is in casual gear. Actually, come to think of it, that's probably not just a Friday thing. I tend to be overdressed. But I will continue to be overdressed until I get a job, because I don't want someone seeing a casual outfit and thinking "This is as good as it gets?". I can bust out all the jeans and cardigans I want when I'm in a job.

So, it's the weekend now. I'm "off" of the job hunt until Sunday night and still "on" the workout kick until I physically can't do it. I tend to make Sundays a little lighter than regular, but that's the only variance. Lunch tomorrow with some friends from high school. Good times!

A New Routine and Some Perspective

I started a new routine this morning. Mostly because the idea of finding a job was getting to be too overwhelming. You know how everyone says that finding a job can be a full time job in and of itself? Well, that's partially true. It can be just as much of a roller coaster as a regular job. And there tends to be the same amount of paperwork, but the results sometimes aren't there.

I think I liken it to more like losing weight. You do stuff everyday to try and take off the pounds, but the task at times seems insurmountable. You see a few pounds come off and it motivates you more. You see 0.2 pound come back on and it's a fight to get back into the fight.

After my phone interview last week, I realized that I was trying to do too much at once. I was applying half-heartedly to about 10 jobs a day. Not bad, but I wasn't taking the time to really try and distinguish myself on the jobs that I actually really wanted. And why I was applying for jobs that I was qualified for, but didn't really want anyway?? So, I took some time to try and devise a game plan, as well as do some soul-searching on what kind of job I really wanted.

And so I came up with this routine to try and follow. I will be at the computer and ready to go every morning by 9:30 a.m. I will concentrate on my job search for two hours. I will apply for two job listings (posted somewhere) with carefully tailored cover letters. Each day, I will also send a catchy intro email and my resume to two companies that may not having openings, but I would like to work at. I will reply to all emails or phone calls during this time as to not spend all day doing things piece meal.

So, that's my plan for finding a job. I've got another phone interview and an in-person interview this week. I've also set up a meeting with a local AHA employee to get her take on the communications/ PR/ marketing market in LA.

Now, I've got to get my weight loss plan working a little better. I'm working out like crazy (about an hour a day--which is like crazy compared to the 30 minutes a day I used to do). I eat plenty of calories, but I count them. And despite this, I've still not lost any weight so far. I started to get frustrated when Chef took me aside to say "It's about making the lifestyle changes. Not just losing weight." Which is very true and good perspective. But I also need to look better in my clothes. Just sayin'.