Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

I woke up at around 9:00am, but Eric was still sleeping, so I came out to the living room and did some work on my typing project.  Eric got up soon after and we watched THE VIEW and waited for the sleeper sofa to be delivered.  They had called yesterday and said it would be delivered sometime this morning, and I was anxiously awaiting its delivery!  They had told me that they would bring it to the foot of the stairs, but wouldn’t bring it up the stairs, but I told Eric that I was sure if we offered them a fast $20 they’d do it for us.

We were expecting a call, to let us know they were here, when I heard a noise outside and Eric opened the door.  It was the delivery guy (yes, one guy) and he had already dragged the couch up the stairs by himself!  It’s a full-size bed, and it comes flat, so it’s pretty big and VERY heavy.  I don’t know how he did it.  Eric told him he would have been happy to help him, if he had just rung the doorbell first!

Anyway, Eric offered him a tip, but he wouldn’t take it and, instead, told Eric to donate it to his favorite charity.  Did you ever?

We opened the box, Eric put it together in a few minutes, and we put it in place.  It’s really beautiful and so comfortable.  I’m so happy!  What a deal!  They don’t charge tax or shipping, so it was exactly $379, and it’s even nicer than the picture!  I hope it’s comfortable to sleep on!

So, after that was taken care of, I jumped in the shower and got dressed.  I wanted to look professional, because I was going to drive Downtown to register with an employment agency.  Unfortunately, getting dressed wasn’t very easy.  Since I’ve gained weight, a lot of my clothes don’t fit very well.  I don’t have much that’s appropriate for an interview, so it took some doing.  I finally found a skirt and sweater set that fit comfortably and looked okay, and left the apartment.  I’ve been on a diet, but I REALLY need to step it up, because I can’t start buying a whole new wardrobe, just because I’m working!  I need to be able to fit into the clothes I already have, because a lot of it would be perfect for the office.

I was going to ON CALL EMPLOYEE SOLUTIONS, INC.  I had found them online and decided to just go there, instead of calling or emailing first.  I thought it would be good experience to drive in the city and get to know the area a little better.  They were kind of surprised that I was a “walk-in” but were actually impressed and said I must be a real go-getter.”  I just figured an in-person meeting would be best, and I think I was right!

There was no traffic and it took about 10 minutes to get there.  I can’t believe how close we are to the city.  It’s fabulous!  I could have parked on the street because, believe it or not, there were lots of metered spaces available (they still have the regular coin meters here), but the parking was only for 2 hours and I was afraid I wouldn’t be done in that time.  So, I put it into a lot and walked over to the building.

When I got to their offices on the sixth floor, I was greeted by a lovely young woman behind the reception desk.  She proceeded to walk me through the entire process, which included submitting my resume, signing up online (by filling in a bunch of forms with every piece of information you can imagine), taking three tests (typing, EXCEL and WORD), and then interviewing with two people, one at a time.

Here’s something very depressing – when I had to fill in my work history online, they had a lot of spaces for you to go back through all your jobs.  Unfortunately, the earliest date in the drop-down menu was 1980 and I started with PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1979.  I also worked for Reader’s Digest from 1977-1979, so I couldn’t even put that in.  BOY, did I feel old!

I was really nervous about the tests, because I hadn’t done anything like that in so long, but it wasn’t bad at all.  I got 26 of the 30 questions correct in WORD, 27 of the 30 correct in EXCEL, and typed 100 words per minute with no errors!  I was actually disappointed, because I typed my fastest, and the last time I was tested I typed 120 words per minute, so I’ve slowed down considerably, even though I still type all the time.  I guess I’m getting old!

I was happy to hear that they thought my results were very impressive, and the two interviews went very well.  I never really get nervous in interview (or audition) processes.  I don’t know why.  I just love meeting people, and figure if they like me they like me, and if they don’t they don’t.  I’m always myself, and never try to be anything I’m not.  I never worried about it too much, and it always worked for me!

I explained to them that I worked in a VERY boring environment (accounting) for so long and was hoping that, this time around, I could find work in an exciting and stimulating environment, like working for a designer, hotel, publisher, clothing manufacturer, etc.  I told them that I would consider working in finance or banking if the money and benefits were really great.  Everyone has their price!  I told them I’m looking for temp work, and would also consider temp-to-hire.   I just want to be able to check them out, while they check me out!

I told them I was pretty flexible with location, too, and would be willing to drive or take the bus, as long as it wasn’t more than a half hour away.  She said that would be easy.  It will be SO nice to have a shorter commute, as my best time from Manhattan to Queens on the express bus was 45 minutes, and driving was always at least an hour, depending on traffic.

I was there for about 2 ½ hours.  When I left, I drove to HILLCREST and stopped by WEAR IT AGAIN SAM.  I had left behind a bag holding some clothes I didn’t sell, and wanted to go pick it up.

I also stopped right next door at a fabulous bookstore called BLUESTOCKING BOOKS.
Eric and I had visited several times the first time we visited in October, and I was happy that Mary, the woman who works there, remembered me, even though she thought my name was Yippy!

My final stop was STARBUCKS, which is right on the corner, where I got a hot, sugar-free, decaf, non-fat Dolce de Leche latte.  There was nothing real in there but the coffee – no sugar, no fat, no caffeine, yet it tasted delicious!

I finally got home after dark, to find that Eric had been working all day – inside and out – on finishing up the shelves.  He also started organizing all his stuff on all the shelves.  It looks SO great!

I immediately started on dinner – Chicken Gorgonzola and macaroni and cheese for him; a big salad for me.

After dinner, I started working on my resume.  The two women I had interviewed with had critiqued my resume and asked me to make all the changes and send it to them tonight in an email, so they can get started submitting it to different companies.

My resume is so weird, because even though I worked for the same company (PricewaterhouseCoopers) for 22 years, I worked in many different departments, for many different people.  I had broken it down to each person and each department, but they said to put a general heading on top and then get more detailed in what exactly I had done, instead of where and for whom I had worked.  They also asked me to add an OBJECTIVE on top and RELEVANT SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE at the bottom, which I did.  It was a lot of work!

Once I finished that, I started watching THE BIGGEST LOSER, while Eric slept on the floor.  My poor baby, he must have really worked hard today!

I also worked on my typing project.  It’s easy to do while I watch TV, and I like to keep busy anyway, so it works out great.

Tomorrow I want to go food shopping and do more laundry.  Company’s coming and we only have three days left to get ready!

I woke up at 8:00am (I mentioned before that my alarm now goes off at 8:00am).  I got up and read my emails.  I answered a few, including one warning that Barack Obama is a radical muslim and if he gets elected the terrorists would have gotten in at the highest level!  I’m not going to go on a rant about these informative emails that let you know you may be kidnapped in a mall parking lot by someone asking you to smell perfume, or to be wary if there’s a piece of paper on your rear windshield, because it’s been put there by a car jacker.

I always say: Get your news from TV, Newspaper, and Radio.  It may not be 100% unbiased, but they’ll tell you if you need to worry about something – believe me.  They LOVE that kind of stuff!  “Carjackers on the prowl – story at 11:00!” or “Abducted with Perfume – stay tuned!”

Anyway, after I read my emails I decided to sit in the AB Lounge Ultra.  Maybe I’ll start abbreviating it as ABLU, since I hope to be writing about it a LOT in the future!  I did three sets of 30 crunches, which was as much as I could do at one time.

It was 9:00am, so I decided to wake Eric.  When we were in South Carolina, he kept talking about working in San Diego, and about how the opportunities there were so much better than in South Carolina, and he realized that SC wasn’t the best place for us, if he wanted to work, which he does.  He talked about getting a job a LOT while we were on vacation.

Last week was a weird week, because New Year's Eve was Monday and New Year's Day was Tuesday, so there were really only 3 days left and it was the end of a holiday week, so nothing would really be happening.  Yesterday, we had to go to the DMV, so today was really the first day he could go.  He wasn’t very enthusiastic, or optimistic, but I guess nobody’s really thrilled about the prospect of going back to work!

Anyway, he left at about 11:00am to go down to the union.  I stayed in the apartment and kept busy cleaning.  I organized and then vacuumed my desk.  Since it’s covered with purple velvet, I can’t dust it, so it needs to be vacuumed.

Our friend, Joe, called.  We will be getting together with him and Miguel for breakfast on Sunday, before heading back to San Diego.  I’m so glad we’ll get to see them on this trip to L.A.!

I called the vintage boutique I love in Hillcrest and asked if they would be interested in my jewelry mosaic mirror, my pin frames, and my earring frame.  The woman said she wasn’t sure about those things, because they really don’t sell anything like that, but she WAS interested in any dangling clip-on earrings I had.  I went through my huge craft bag of clip-ons and screw-ons and pulled out all the dangling pairs.  I had about 30 pair.

Eric filled out forms at the union and then went to RADIOSHACK to buy another charger for the cell phones that we can use in the car.  We had one when we went to South Carolina, but now I can’t find it anywhere.  I always say I never lose ANYTHING, so it’s driving me crazy, but I have a feeling I left it in the rental PT we had.

When Eric got back at about 2:00pm I was ready to leave.  Eric helped me pack all the stuff in the car and then I drove to Hillcrest.  I parked the car in the lot and brought the earrings and the frames into the boutique.  The girls went crazy looking at all the earrings.  Then, I brought in the mirror.  They loved all the craft pieces, but said they don’t really sell that kind of thing and they don’t have room to display them anyway.  I looked around and saw some wall space where they could have hung them, but of course I wasn’t going to argue with them.  I guess they weren’t interested and were just saying it in a nice way.

I was disappointed, but they were interested in the earrings and gave me $50 for 8 pair.  Since I was just using them for crafts, I was absolutely thrilled!  I never did well selling clip-on earrings, because most girls have pierced ears, and the clip-on and screw-ons really hurt.  If I DID sell them, they usually went for $5 a pair.  So, this was a great price for 8 pair!  I’ll try to sell the others at the other vintage stores in Hillcrest and, if they’re not interested, I’ll put them back in the craft bag!

After I left Hillcrest I decided to drive to La Jolla to see if I could find any nice boutiques to “sell my wares.”  I had no idea where I was driving, and couldn’t believe it when I found myself in front of AZUL, the restaurant where I had dinner with Jimmy and Eric to celebrate my 50th birthday!  It is on a gorgeous block of restaurants and boutiques on PROSPECT STREET.  I found a place right across the street called GILI ANNA CUSTOM DESIGN JEWELRY/ART/JUDAICA.  It was a tiny little shop – maybe 120 square feet – but it was filled to the brim with gorgeous jewelry and accessories – both to wear and for the home.

I showed Gili my frames and mirror.  She loved them, but also didn’t have a place to hang them.  In this case, it really was true.  Her place was so small there wasn’t a square inch of wall space.  She said if I made smaller mirrors she’d find a place to hang them, and said if she moved things around she’d love to use the pin and earring frames, too.  She was very positive and enthusiastic.  She really loved the jewelry mosaic mirror!

I left there excited and anxious to find little mirrors to frame with jewelry.  She said she’s going away for a few weeks, so that gives me some time to find the mirrors and decorate them.  I’m hoping there will be a lot of interest in them and that I can get some commissioned work, too!

When I got home I went food shopping.  I passed on a lot of stuff I usually buy, like deli meat for Eric, and chips and other snacks, because I’m anticipating starting the NUTRISYSTEM diet, but I still didn’t get my food!  I got everything to make salad (since that’s part of the plan) and I bought some cherries, some diet drinks, and a piece of salmon to make for dinner tonight.

I just baked the salmon and put it on top of a salad.  It was dee-licious!  If my food doesn’t come tomorrow, I’m going to have to call and find out what the story is.  It’s just not fair!

After dinner, we watched TV for a while.  Eric had a bad headache, so he went to sleep really early (like 8:00pm).  I watched two shows I had recorded: Dr. PHIL and ELLEN.  Then I watched BIGGEST LOSER: COUPLES.  That show is very inspirational.  These people have so much weight to lose and have to work SO hard.  It makes me feel so lazy.  I have so much less weight to lose, yet I have such a hard time doing it!

I did more sets on the ABLU.  I would do 50 crunches during almost every commercial break.  It’s really pretty painless.  You just have to sit there and do it!

Tomorrow, we have to bring the car to the dealership to get another key made.  We have an appointment at 10:30am.  It’s unfair that the PT only came with ONE key and it costs almost $200 for another one, because it’s computerized and they charge you almost $100 for the key, and $75 to program it!  What a rip!  Eric said he’s never heard of buying a car and only getting one key, but that’s all they gave us, and they wouldn’t pay for the other key.  We’ve been using just the one key for almost 2 months, but it’s such a pain to share, so we’re going for the second key.  They take your key and do it while you wait, so if I don’t get called in for work we can go together.  Otherwise, Eric can drop me off at work and go himself.

I found two smaller mirrors this afternoon at a local store and will try to work on them tomorrow.  One is round with a white plastic frame.  It’s about a foot in diameter.  The other is a very small rectangle with a faux tortoise shell frame – maybe 4x6.  I’m excited, because I’m curious to see the reaction that the mirrors get in La Jolla!

Eric and I were up at 9:00am.  My back is still hurting me, but I feel a whole lot better than yesterday.  We watched THE VIEW and then I went to go into the shower.  NO WATER!  What a GREAT way to start the day!  The good news is, I called the manager and it was fixed within an hour.

The city is doing work on the sidewalk outside our apartment (the whole block actually).  It’s kind of a pain, because we can’t park on our side of the street for 2 weeks.  We have to park across the street and Clairemont Drive is such a busy street that, with two lanes in each direction, it takes forever to cross.  Anyway, the workers hit some water line this morning, but I guess it was an easy fix, because the water was back on very soon.  I’m glad I called, because the manager had no idea!

Eric made some calls this morning regarding work and has a few leads.  I had called my agency last night and left a message saying I was willing to take less money and less responsibility in order to start working.  I spoke to them this morning and told them that I didn’t want to hold out for top dollar if it meant I wouldn’t get work.  I also told them I was going to apply to another agency.  They were very supportive and told me that taking less money would open me up to more possibilities.  They didn’t want to offer me less, because I had told them what I was looking for, but now that I told them I was willing to take less, they said it would be easier to find me something.  I figure less is better than nothing!

I left the apartment around noon to go sign up at the other agency, which is very close to the apartment.  I also had to go to the post office.  Eric was going to stay home and do two loads of laundry.  I begged him to let me do it, because I think I do the laundry a lot better than him (of course, he doesn’t think so), but he insisted.

It was another gorgeous day in San Diego.  I was wearing a sweater set, but had to take off the cardigan, because it was too hot!  I went to the post office and then to to the agency, called APPLE ONE.

They said they would email me an application, which I would fill out at home, and then I could come in on Monday at 9:30am with my driver’s license, my social security card and my resume.  I came back and worked on the application (they said it would take 45 minutes and it DID!).  They want your entire life story and every bit of information you can imagine.  I already answered all the same questions in an online application for the other agency, which took just as long, and I can’t believe I’ll have to do this AGAIN when I start temping, because every company wants the same information.

When I got back to the apartment, Eric said the clothes were ready to be put in the dryer, so I did that (even though he didn't want me to) and put my own load of clothes into a cold wash.  Now, we had everything ready for our trip to Malibu/Los Angeles this weekend.  I’m so excited!  I tried on a couple of outfits to wear to the theater on Saturday afternoon.  I always dress for the theater.  I am going to wear a skirt and a sweater set.  Ilene and I are SO excited about seeing WICKED.  I know she’s going to love it as much as I do!  It’s one of my all-time favorite musicals!

I got a letter today from the gentleman who cleaned the windows of my shop in New Hyde Park.  When I first moved into the shop, the guy next door told me that this man, Bill, would clean my windows – inside and out – every week for only $16 a month.  I immediately hired him, because it was so inexpensive and he was a neighborhood treasure.  I found out that Bill had been cleaning windows in New Hyde Park – business and residential – for many decades.  We became good friends and I adored him.  I had been sending him postcards during our trip, and sent him a change of address postcard, too.

He just turned 90 and is still washing windows!  He is such a lovely man and his kind words and support for my little shop meant more than the sparkling clean windows he always left behind after every visit.  He would go on and on about my the decorations in my windows every month when I changed them.  He would tell me what an artist I was, and how lovely I kept everything, and how I gave Hillside Avenue some class and elegance.

In his letter he said Hillside Avenue is not the same without me.  I miss that neighborhood, too.  It had become a second home and the people in the area became good friends and neighbors.  I miss them all!

I wanted to start packing for the weekend, so I pulled my little pink suitcase on wheels out of the closet.  That’s all we’ll need for the two of us for 3 days.  I told Eric it was so much easier to pack when I didn’t have to worry about passing through security and carrying everything in 3 oz. bottles!

This evening I went to JOBING.COM, which is a website where you can search for jobs in any area and any category.  I have been submitting my resume periodically, whenever something looks interesting, or I believe I would be qualified.  I submitted my resume to three more places tonight.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Eric has an appointment at the union tomorrow at 8:00am.  We’ll see what happens.  I’m very optimistic that one of us will be working very soon!

I got up at 8:00am and was ready for my interview at 9:00am.  Eric was still sleeping when I left the apartment.  I went to APPLE ONE, the employment agency, which is just five minutes away.  I got there a few minutes early for my 9:30am appointment.

First, I had to fill out a bunch of forms and sign my name about 30 times.  Then, I had to watch a video, while wearing headphones.  The video was all about safety on the job, what an employee is and is not allowed to do while on the job, etc.  After I watched the video, they said I had to take a test.  I figured it was a typing test, or testing me on some software.  No, it was a test about the video I had just seen.  There were questions like:

What is the proper way to retrieve something from a high shelf?  (1) stand on your office chair; (2) get a stepstool; (3) stand on a strong box; (4) all of the above.  I guess I don’t have to tell you that the answer was (2).  I actually got three questions wrong.  Don’t ask me how!  I guess I either wasn’t concentrating when I was watching the movie, or I answered the questions too quickly.  I asked them which questions I got wrong, because I was dying to know, but they said they couldn’t retrieve the information.

Anyway, after that quiz I was interviewed for about an hour.  That went well and the woman who interviewed me thought I would be good for three positions they were trying to fill.  She told me I had to take the software and typing tests, but she was sending them to me in an email and I had to take them at home!

She said I had to finish them today.  I told her I was a little rusty on EXCEL and POWERPOINT, because I hadn’t used them in a while, so she said she would also send me the tutorial.  She said she was also going to send me the tutorial for OUTLOOK, because I had never used it, although it is very similar to the email I currently use.

I came home a little after 11:00am and found Eric laying on the floor watching TV.  I was hoping he was either out job hunting or riding.  Unfortunately, he was doing neither.  I told him that I needed to study the tutorials and take the tests – all in the next few hours.  I told him that I really needed to be alone, because I couldn’t concentrate if there were any distractions.  I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride, but he didn’t want to, so he just left.

I had no idea where he was going.  He did take a printout of addresses I had given him for sprinkler companies in the area.  I figured he was going to make some cold calls to see if they were hiring.  I noticed after he left that he didn’t take Betty with him and didn’t think he had any way of finding these places without the GPS system, so I didn’t know what he was going to do all afternoon.  I called him to tell him to come back and get Betty, but his phone was turned off.

I figured I’d better get started, so I took the tutorial for WORD and then took the test.  I got 27 out of 30, which isn’t bad.

Next, I took the tutorial for OUTLOOK.  Some of it was similar to regular emails, but the scheduling and calendar features were much more sophisticated.  I liked it a lot.  There was no test (thank goodness), so then I took the typing test.  I typed 99 words per minute with one error.  Last time (in December) when I took the typing test for the other agency I did 100 words per minute with no errors, so I actually did better in an office than I did at home!

Next, I took the EXCEL tutorial and then took that test.  I got 29 out of 30.  It really helped that I took the tutorial first, because a lot of the functions were fresh in my mind.  I don’t know that I would do as well tomorrow, because I’ve already forgotten a lot!  This kind of software is something that you need to use a lot in order to remember anything.

Last, I took the POWERPOINT tutorial and then took that test.  I got 26 out of 30.  I was never that great at POWERPOINT, because I didn’t have to do many presentations for my boss, and when I DID, they were very simple, just bullet points or plain text.

I learned a lot taking the tutorials, but I don’t think I’ll remember any of it unless I start to use it soon!

It took me almost three hours to take all the tutorials and tests.  I wasn’t done until after 3:00pm.  I was exhausted and had a little headache.  Too much time staring at the computer and using my brain!

When I was done, I called my sister, Lenae, and spoke to her, my nephew, Eddie, and my niece, Keri.  I miss all of them so much and wish they would come visit!

After that I watched today’s episode of DR. PHIL and Eric came home.  He told me he went back to the union, hoping to find out about work.  The guy he needs to speak to wasn’t there, so he waited around, but the guy never showed up.  At least he wasn’t watching TV in the dark.

He asked me how I did on my tests.  I told him I did well.  He said he wasn’t surprised.  He’s so sweet and so supportive of me.  I try to be the same for him, but it’s just not working.  I can't get him enthused about riding, no matter what I (or anyone else) says.

We watched TV and I worked on the computer, paying bills and answering emails.  Eric and I had a long talk.  We talked about riding, about my finding a job, about his finding a job.  We talked about leaving San Diego and moving to North Carolina.  I told him that I was willing to go, if he would make the best of the situation here for the rest of the year.  He seemed to hear me, but I don't know if he will be able to do it.

Then, out of the blue, he said he wanted to walk up the block and go to LA DOLCE VITA for dinner.  I didn’t really want to indulge in Italian food, but I was so happy he wanted to do SOMETHING that I happily agreed.

We walked up the block and had a delicious dinner.  They have a great salad bar with a tomato bisque soup that is to die for.  Eric got the chicken cutlet parmigiana and I had lobster ravioli with scallops on top.  The creamy sauce on the ravioli and scallops was so delicious.  I only ate 2 scallops (and gave Eric the other two) and ate two raviolis, because I was so full from the soup and salad and Eric only ate his spaghetti and a little of his cutlet.  We brought the rest home!

When we got back we watched an episode of MONK that neither of us had ever seen.  It must have been on this fall when we were still living in the RV and we missed it.  What a thrill to see another new episode.  The new season just started, so we got to see another new episode on Friday night, while we were in Malibu.  We watched it with Jerry and he really liked it!

Eric fell asleep soon after MONK and I stayed up to watch MEDIUM, another favorite of mine.  I thought about the interview and the tests and I hope they will find me work very soon.  I am also hoping Eric will ride tomorrow.  I'm hopeful about the future.  I am very optimistic that things will get better very soon.

I set the alarm for 8:00am, because I am back to trying to get up earlier, so that when I got to work I am ready for the earlier hours.  I got up and worked on the computer while Eric slept.  He got up a little after 9:00am.

Soon after, I got a call.  It was one of the agencies, letting me know they had scheduled me for a telephone interview this morning at 11:00am with a company that was looking for a temp to fill in for a maternity leave through March.  It is an investment company, so I wasn’t thrilled about that, but it’s in a great location just 15 minutes away and it’s a great company (I checked out their website).  Maybe when the woman comes back from maternity they’ll have a full time job for me.  Otherwise, I’ll be back to job-hunting in April.

We watched THE VIEW and I made us NUTRISYSTEM breakfasts.  I had their granola with low-fat chocolate soy milk.  It was the first time I tried the granola and I was pleasantly surprised.  Crunchy, sweet – delicious!  Eric had a slice of cheese, some cherries, a cup of chamomile tea and a NUTRISYSTEM granola bar.

At 11:00am I called the company and was put on speakerphone so two girls could interview me.  They were very sweet and asked me all kinds of questions about my job history, the people I worked for, the type of software I knew, etc.  I was completely honest and told them I hadn’t used a lot of the software for 5 years.  I told them that I am not afraid to ask questions, if I need help, and that I am confident I can use the software competently, but am not an expert and don’t have the most up-to-date versions.  They were very nice and said they were conducting phone interviews today and then would call people in whom they were interested in.

At 1:00pm I got a call from the agency saying that the company was interested in seeing me tomorrow at 10:30am.  My first interview!  Very exciting!  I must figure out what I’m going to wear!

Eric put his new tires on his bicycle and went out for a ride.  I immediately got working on my crafts, because I am hoping to be working VERY soon.

I put five CDs in the CD player – WICKED, HAIRSPRAY, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, HAIR and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS.  I listened to the first four and was done by the time HAIR was finishing.  What great musicals.  I had a lot of fun listening to them while I worked.

I had two mirrors to decorate with jewelry.  First, I did the very small one, which was a plastic faux tortoise shell.  It has a handle, so you can hold it like a vanity mirror, or you can bend it back to hang on the wall, or you can use the handle like a picture frame to stand the mirror up on a dresser – three uses – very versatile!

Next I did a bigger mirror, which is round with a white plastic frame.  I pretty much finished both, but it took all afternoon.  They’re not done, because I have to step back and then look at them again and hang them on the wall, to see how they look, but it was enough for one day.

I made myself a NUTRISYSTEM BLACK BEANS AND RICE lunch and Eric came home.  He told me all about his road ride.  He went all over the place – over bridges, through towns, and he had a good ride.  He didn’t complain at all and didn’t say anything negative.

He saw a sign at a mechanic shop that they were hiring, so he went inside and asked about the job.  The guy said, “Aren’t you a little old to be doing this kind of thing?”  OUCH!  Eric said the guy probably thought he was 65.  I said definitely not.  I’m sure he just wants a 20-year-old he can abuse and push around.  That was a little depressing for Eric, but he’ll keep looking, I’m sure.

He loved the pieces I made and had some good ideas for finishing them up.  He’s very good at that.  He has a great eye and is always very helpful with my crafts.  I made him lunch (NUTRISYSTEM MAC & CHEESE, an apple and peanut butter, and a piece of cheese and he watched TV in the living room while I watched DR. PHIL in the bedroom.

I took a little nap while Eric worked on his bicycle, did some exercise on the AB LOUNGE ULTRA (wheee!) and watched TV.

When I woke up a little after 8:00pm, I made us dinner.  Eric had a leftover shrimp burrito from GRINGO’S and a salad.  I had the thick-crust NUTRISYSTEM PIZZA and a salad.  For dessert I had a caramel nut bar, which was really good.  Eric had scones, which he heated in the microwave (clever boy!).

He watched HOUSE and the basketball game and I watched some shows I had previously recorded.  Then we watched BOSTON LEGAL together and went to bed.  I wanted to get a good night’s sleep since I have my interview tomorrow morning.

WISH ME LUCK!

I knew if they met me, they’d hire me!   I had my interview this morning and it went very well.  I wore my “interview slacks” which I bought back in NY with my “stylist” Kris.  We went shopping last Spring and I told her I was going to need clothes for interviews in San Diego.  I’m definitely not a pants person (as anyone who knows me can attest) and I don’t even own a pair of jeans, but sometimes you just need a nice pair of basic black slacks.  Kris helped me find two beautiful pairs of pants – black and khaki – which fit me well and made me look very professional.

I wore the black pants with a lavender knit top and a knit jacket over it, which has no collar and closes with just two buttons at the top.  It’s kind of a swing jacket.  That’s about as professional as I get.  I wore a purple pin, which belonged to my grandmother, to bring me luck.

I got there early (as usual).  It’s just 15 miles from the apartment and I just jumped on I-5 (which is a few blocks from our apartment) and it was less than a mile from the exit where I got off, so it’s an easy commute.  The building is kind of secluded.  There’s a hotel next door, but no other stores or restaurants.  It’s not like working in Manhattan, where you’re surrounded by everything you could ever desire – theater, music, shopping, food, etc.

I interviewed first with the gentleman for whom I would be working, and then a woman who works for two top guys in the firm.  She has been helping out since the woman I am replacing took ill.  I will be working closely with her.  They were both very nice and I was very impressed with the company as a whole, and them in particular.  The building was really beautiful and the office was very fancy and beautifully decorated.  Definitely a nice place to work!

After the interview, I drove back to Clairemont.  I called the agency and told them that I thought I did very well and was definitely interested in the job.  The pay was great, it was long-term, but I didn’t have to make a commitment.  It’s a financial company, which doesn’t thrill me (I’d like to work in a more stimulating environment), but it’s not forever, so I think I can live with it.  They said they’d get back to me today if I got the job.

I went to the post office (I am there so often I should get a job THERE!), then went to Starbucks to get my Skinny Mocha Latte and then went home.  I watched some TV, worked on the computer and then went food shopping.

When I got home, Eric was there.  He had gone for a nice, long road ride.  He says he’s not really getting a good workout, but I think it’s definitely better than not riding at all!  He’s been in a good mood since Monday.  He’s talking about getting a job and he’s been using the ABLU, too!

I was a little disappointed, because the afternoon was going by and the agency didn’t call.  Then, at 4:30pm the phone rang.  I looked at Eric and answered it.  It was the woman from the agency, telling me I got the job.  I was SO happy!  And the best part is – I start on Monday!  I am SO lazy.  When I was thinking about getting the job I actually thought, “I hope they want me to start on Monday, so I can have four more days before I go back to work.”  Can you believe it?  I amaze myself!  The truth is, I haven’t worked since April 1st and I still want more time off!

Eric was SO happy for me.  He said he knew I’d get it and that he knows it will be great for me.  The good thing is that I’ll be making more than enough to pay all our bills, so we can stop living off our savings!

For dinner, I made a healthy vegetable soup.  I sautéed celery, red onion, baby carrots and mushrooms and then added a container of organic vegetable broth, a can of stewed tomatoes, a can of black beans, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of asiago cheese, and a cup of fat free half and half (to make the soup creamy).  I let it simmer for over an hour, and then Eric and I had a bowl.  It was really delicious and contains all the necessary ingredients for a meal with a NUTRISYSTEM dinner entrée.  It has the protein (beans), vegetable servings, and even the dairy!  I could eat that every single day.  I’m a REAL soup lover!  Eric had a salad with turkey and swiss and I had a NUTRISYSTEM cheese tortellini with tomato sauce.  I was really stuffed, because the soup was so filling!

After dinner I went through my decoupage cuttings to find pictures of jewelry.  I want to decoupage the sides of the white plastic frame I bejeweled.  It would take much too much jewelry if I covered the sides, instead of just the top, so I figure putting pictures of jewels will make it look fabulous without using tons more jewelry!

I want to get all my projects done before the weekend, because I want to bring them to the shop in La Jolla over the weekend.  I won’t have as much time starting next week, because I’ll be working 8:00am – 5:00pm every day, so I need to get things done on the weekends and weeknights.  Wheeeee!  I really can’t wait to start working!

I watched BIGGEST LOSER – COUPLES and DEAL OR NO DEAL. Reality TV rocks!  Eric and I recorded MOMENT OF TRUTH, so we can watch it together.  That’s the new show where they hook the contestants up to a lie detector and ask them embarrassing questions.  What will they think up next?  It was horrible.  Eric kept saying, "I can't watch this.  I can't watch this."  They ask really embarrassing questions and the more embarrassing they are, the more money you can win.  I hated it.  Don't think we'll be watching that one again!

Eric was exhausted, because he rode a lot today and he has big plans for tomorrow.  He wants to go to HOME DEPOT and get some wood to make a board to hang all his tools on the wall.  He’s going to make it himself.  He’s SO organized.  I love that he has a project, because keeping busy is the best medicine for him!

I’m going to finish my round mirror tomorrow and will photograph it.  I have a new blog, which is just for my arts and crafts.  I haven’t started it yet, but I will be describing my work and showing photographs of it as I go along, so potential shops and customers can check it out.  When my website is updated, you will be able to click on the link there to read my “Craft Blog.”  I will keep blogging here about my work, as well, because it is an important part of my day-to-day existence!

I really feel like I accomplished something big today and a huge weight is off my shoulders.  It really did only take me a little more than 3 weeks to land a job and, when you think about it, living in a strange place and adjusting to a new environment, that's not bad at all!