1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a very tall man. No, really.
2. I'm in the same room as Jack Nicholson.
3. I am now a fan of Sasha Vujacic. I also understand why he is called "The Machine;" he is fun to watch.
4. The lights in Staples Center make my ring very sparkly. I like this.
5. Fearless Hero gets very happy when he watches The Boys.
6. I am now craving nachos.
7. I hope we can come back soon.
8. Fearless Hero needs to find a way to get more free, 12 rows behind the basket seats.
9. If we keep the opponents under 100 we get free tacos from Jack In The Box.
10. We won! Lakers 105 Cleveland Cavaliers 88.
Sign from the Universe
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Dear California Drivers
Dear California Drivers,
Today I would like to spend some time with you discussing what may appear to be a minor point in traffic law. Even though dissertations, volumes, could be written addressing topics of roadway law, I shall attempt to address only one particular situation in the following paragraphs. I invite you most warmly to Focus with me now.
There are instances during the course of a day that after driving, we arrive at our destination, be it a place of business, store or restaurant. In order to proceed with our planned activity, one must park the car in designated stalls in the parking lot. A driver can select what appears to be a preferable parking spot, chosen for space or ease of exit or proximity to target building or absence of surrounding vehicles. However, after the car is placed, a driver has little to no control on who parks next to them, whether it be a Smart car easily looked around or a one of those giant SUVs my fellow Californians seem so fond of which can easily block not only sight lines but the sun as well. Some parking lots have unique (read: stupid) arrangement in order to squeeze as many parking stalls as possible out of their piece of precious real estate. (This is because there are too many cars and not enough places to put them. But this is another topic entirely and I shall try my best to adhere to my earlier directive and Focus.) This makes it immaterial if work van or scooter is parked next to you as your ability to see will be impaired. The limited space or inexpert placement by surrounding cars may also require a certificate in advanced driving maneuvers to successfully exit without damage to any vehicles involved.
There comes a time in every man's life when he must re-enter his vehicle and begin the process of exiting the parking stall. When reversing out of a parking spot it is prudent to proceed slowly, after first checking for oncoming traffic. Often this step is omitted which can lead to much justified honking and troublesome fender benders. In the absence of approaching vehicles, a driver must proceed slowly to continue to monitor traffic and to avoid contact with cars or other objects around his vehicle.
I realize at this point you may be growing irritated with my obvious and pedantic approach. Please bear with me. Pretend you are in traffic and put on the brake for a moment.
I would also like the take advantage of this brief break to state that this discussion would be much easier if we all could use and understand sign language (and of course, if we were all in the same room to best utilize this mode of communication). The descriptions of physical movements by the vehicles are much more clearly expressed in signs than in unwieldy words. Again, bear with me.
At some point during this process, Mr. Driver's car is halfway out of the stall and thus, into the lane of traffic. This, dear drivers, is unavoidable. One cannot complete this action without temporarily taking up some space. If you are approaching in this lane of traffic, (probably trolling desperately for a spot as you are late for an appointment and are near exhaustion, dehydration and complete mental collapse. Again, I digress. My apologies. Focus.) you will have to activate the brake and wait as the driver completes his reversal, corrects his wheel and makes ready to join the flow of traffic. It must be emphasized here that since this maneuver was begun before the approach of the oncoming car, our Mr. Driver is now technically in traffic and therefore ahead of you. He is now no different than any other car that is ahead of you in traffic. This status now requires you to monitor the position of you car, just as the car behind you must adjust accordingly based on your actions. It must also be stated that exiting a parking spot, due to the size of our vehicles (and you Hummer drivers...oh, hell. Focus. Must Focus), requires a certain amount of space to complete the maneuver. If the driver is exiting into a row of two way traffic, it is often necessary to enter into the real estate of both lanes to complete the task.
And now I finally come to my point, gentle drivers. If, after checking in both directions and finding an absence of oncoming traffic, our Mr. Driver begins exiting his stall and is three-quarters of the way out of his spot or halfway, still reversing or already beginning the final crank of the wheel to straighten his car to enter the lane of traffic, you cannot honk at him. You cannot adopt the mantle of indignation for a rude interruption of your forward progress. He was there first and therefore has right of way. I do understand that it may be irritating to be forced to wait while the maneuver is finished to continue on your way, but you have not been wronged. Therefore you may not honk. You have no basis for that loud forceful gesture. It is the equivalent of saying, however eloquently in the absence of words and instead in the dulcet tones of car horn, "I'm ridiculously more important than you. Stop what you are doing so that I can keep going. You are nothing."
You also may not refuse to wait and try to continue on your way by honking and accelerating, hoping that Mr. Driver will slam on the brakes to allow you to keep going unscathed. That is violating his right of way and is just damn rude. Just because he is completing his reverse does not change his status of ahead of you in traffic and he is taking his rightful turn. And if you have been forced to stop, honking will only make him slam on the brakes thereby stopping the process that is so irritating to you and further impinging on your progress.
Even though this has just been a section heavy with information and directives, it must also be added at the risk of overwhelming you, dear drivers, that excessive speed in a parking lot does not allow you any extra right of way privileges or extra indignation benefits. It just makes you an irresponsible driver worthy of scorn and few honks yourself.
Please do not sputter and start to shower me with instances of people who neglect to look before proceeding, who are on their phone, who are barely able to see over the steering wheel, or people who are wild drivers who routinely disregard the laws of traffic. I am not referring to those classes of people and you know it. Making those arguments will only make you sound defensive and actually, dear drivers, guilty.
I must take this opportunity to point out that there are occasions where the a driver is just beginning his attempt to exit his stall, cannot see the car that is closely approaching due to the aforementioned blockages to sight lines and a friendly 'I'm here" tap on the horn is entirely appropriate to alert the driver and avoid an accident. And we could spend another hour discussing exactly how far Mr. Driver has to be reversed out of his spot to claim his right of way: one-third, two thirds, halfway. And I would be more than happy to engage in that enlightening conversation once I recover from the ringing in my ears and my righteous indignation.
After such a lengthy detailed discussion I feel it is only fair that I now inform you, I daresay issue a kind of warning to you now, dear drivers. The next time I am innocently leaving work and am in the lane of traffic reversing my ridiculously cute Camry (and as a side note, what kind of car involved in these scenarios does not in the least bit affect the proper right of way rules. Driving a Porsche does not give you special right of way or asshole privileges. I apologize if you were told otherwise. Car salesmen, and various representatives of popular culture, shame on you) and am firmly clearly in the lane of traffic and you honk at me so I re-enter my spot far enough for you to get by, I am going to honk right back and not budge an inch. I am experienced in working with little children so my patience in dealing with bad inappropriate behavior and tantrums has been expanded beyond the level of mere mortals. My return honk can be interpreted as "Were you not afforded an education growing up? Where were you during Sharing Circle in kindergarten? Were you never taught or were you ultimately unable to learn to take your turn or to share? Go, get thee hence, to an elementary school near you for a refresher course, you cretin." My advice to us all, gentle drivers, is to adopt the spirit of the Sharing Circle so we can all get to our desired destinations smoothly and expediently.
I want to take the opportunity to thank you for your time and attention to the finer points of my discussion. I hope it has afforded you a clearer understanding of this particular traffic occurrence and leaves you feeling empowered to handle the situation when it next presents itself to you. Please stay tuned for further installments. I hope to have another discussion soon that will address another aspect of car travel. I hope you will contribute to the debate and join me in my endeavor to make the experience of operating a motor vehicle on the roads of our fine state a more pleasant one.
Until our next session, I bid you a good day and wish most sincerely for your continued safe travels.
Today I would like to spend some time with you discussing what may appear to be a minor point in traffic law. Even though dissertations, volumes, could be written addressing topics of roadway law, I shall attempt to address only one particular situation in the following paragraphs. I invite you most warmly to Focus with me now.
There are instances during the course of a day that after driving, we arrive at our destination, be it a place of business, store or restaurant. In order to proceed with our planned activity, one must park the car in designated stalls in the parking lot. A driver can select what appears to be a preferable parking spot, chosen for space or ease of exit or proximity to target building or absence of surrounding vehicles. However, after the car is placed, a driver has little to no control on who parks next to them, whether it be a Smart car easily looked around or a one of those giant SUVs my fellow Californians seem so fond of which can easily block not only sight lines but the sun as well. Some parking lots have unique (read: stupid) arrangement in order to squeeze as many parking stalls as possible out of their piece of precious real estate. (This is because there are too many cars and not enough places to put them. But this is another topic entirely and I shall try my best to adhere to my earlier directive and Focus.) This makes it immaterial if work van or scooter is parked next to you as your ability to see will be impaired. The limited space or inexpert placement by surrounding cars may also require a certificate in advanced driving maneuvers to successfully exit without damage to any vehicles involved.
There comes a time in every man's life when he must re-enter his vehicle and begin the process of exiting the parking stall. When reversing out of a parking spot it is prudent to proceed slowly, after first checking for oncoming traffic. Often this step is omitted which can lead to much justified honking and troublesome fender benders. In the absence of approaching vehicles, a driver must proceed slowly to continue to monitor traffic and to avoid contact with cars or other objects around his vehicle.
I realize at this point you may be growing irritated with my obvious and pedantic approach. Please bear with me. Pretend you are in traffic and put on the brake for a moment.
I would also like the take advantage of this brief break to state that this discussion would be much easier if we all could use and understand sign language (and of course, if we were all in the same room to best utilize this mode of communication). The descriptions of physical movements by the vehicles are much more clearly expressed in signs than in unwieldy words. Again, bear with me.
At some point during this process, Mr. Driver's car is halfway out of the stall and thus, into the lane of traffic. This, dear drivers, is unavoidable. One cannot complete this action without temporarily taking up some space. If you are approaching in this lane of traffic, (probably trolling desperately for a spot as you are late for an appointment and are near exhaustion, dehydration and complete mental collapse. Again, I digress. My apologies. Focus.) you will have to activate the brake and wait as the driver completes his reversal, corrects his wheel and makes ready to join the flow of traffic. It must be emphasized here that since this maneuver was begun before the approach of the oncoming car, our Mr. Driver is now technically in traffic and therefore ahead of you. He is now no different than any other car that is ahead of you in traffic. This status now requires you to monitor the position of you car, just as the car behind you must adjust accordingly based on your actions. It must also be stated that exiting a parking spot, due to the size of our vehicles (and you Hummer drivers...oh, hell. Focus. Must Focus), requires a certain amount of space to complete the maneuver. If the driver is exiting into a row of two way traffic, it is often necessary to enter into the real estate of both lanes to complete the task.
And now I finally come to my point, gentle drivers. If, after checking in both directions and finding an absence of oncoming traffic, our Mr. Driver begins exiting his stall and is three-quarters of the way out of his spot or halfway, still reversing or already beginning the final crank of the wheel to straighten his car to enter the lane of traffic, you cannot honk at him. You cannot adopt the mantle of indignation for a rude interruption of your forward progress. He was there first and therefore has right of way. I do understand that it may be irritating to be forced to wait while the maneuver is finished to continue on your way, but you have not been wronged. Therefore you may not honk. You have no basis for that loud forceful gesture. It is the equivalent of saying, however eloquently in the absence of words and instead in the dulcet tones of car horn, "I'm ridiculously more important than you. Stop what you are doing so that I can keep going. You are nothing."
You also may not refuse to wait and try to continue on your way by honking and accelerating, hoping that Mr. Driver will slam on the brakes to allow you to keep going unscathed. That is violating his right of way and is just damn rude. Just because he is completing his reverse does not change his status of ahead of you in traffic and he is taking his rightful turn. And if you have been forced to stop, honking will only make him slam on the brakes thereby stopping the process that is so irritating to you and further impinging on your progress.
Even though this has just been a section heavy with information and directives, it must also be added at the risk of overwhelming you, dear drivers, that excessive speed in a parking lot does not allow you any extra right of way privileges or extra indignation benefits. It just makes you an irresponsible driver worthy of scorn and few honks yourself.
Please do not sputter and start to shower me with instances of people who neglect to look before proceeding, who are on their phone, who are barely able to see over the steering wheel, or people who are wild drivers who routinely disregard the laws of traffic. I am not referring to those classes of people and you know it. Making those arguments will only make you sound defensive and actually, dear drivers, guilty.
I must take this opportunity to point out that there are occasions where the a driver is just beginning his attempt to exit his stall, cannot see the car that is closely approaching due to the aforementioned blockages to sight lines and a friendly 'I'm here" tap on the horn is entirely appropriate to alert the driver and avoid an accident. And we could spend another hour discussing exactly how far Mr. Driver has to be reversed out of his spot to claim his right of way: one-third, two thirds, halfway. And I would be more than happy to engage in that enlightening conversation once I recover from the ringing in my ears and my righteous indignation.
After such a lengthy detailed discussion I feel it is only fair that I now inform you, I daresay issue a kind of warning to you now, dear drivers. The next time I am innocently leaving work and am in the lane of traffic reversing my ridiculously cute Camry (and as a side note, what kind of car involved in these scenarios does not in the least bit affect the proper right of way rules. Driving a Porsche does not give you special right of way or asshole privileges. I apologize if you were told otherwise. Car salesmen, and various representatives of popular culture, shame on you) and am firmly clearly in the lane of traffic and you honk at me so I re-enter my spot far enough for you to get by, I am going to honk right back and not budge an inch. I am experienced in working with little children so my patience in dealing with bad inappropriate behavior and tantrums has been expanded beyond the level of mere mortals. My return honk can be interpreted as "Were you not afforded an education growing up? Where were you during Sharing Circle in kindergarten? Were you never taught or were you ultimately unable to learn to take your turn or to share? Go, get thee hence, to an elementary school near you for a refresher course, you cretin." My advice to us all, gentle drivers, is to adopt the spirit of the Sharing Circle so we can all get to our desired destinations smoothly and expediently.
I want to take the opportunity to thank you for your time and attention to the finer points of my discussion. I hope it has afforded you a clearer understanding of this particular traffic occurrence and leaves you feeling empowered to handle the situation when it next presents itself to you. Please stay tuned for further installments. I hope to have another discussion soon that will address another aspect of car travel. I hope you will contribute to the debate and join me in my endeavor to make the experience of operating a motor vehicle on the roads of our fine state a more pleasant one.
Until our next session, I bid you a good day and wish most sincerely for your continued safe travels.
A Bit of Home
I had this posting saved as a draft with the title "New Not Work." Life continued even though I was starting a new job, I do wish there were certain aspects that I could have pushed the 'pause' button on. However, I've been informed that life doesn't work that way.
There was a week or two period that I remember referring to in a letter to my friend Cara as an Orgy of Frustration. So much went wrong so many days in a row that is seemed no matter what I tried to do, it went wrong. Coupled with trying to learn a new job it proved to be a very trying time. If I had had more time amidst the drama/trauma I would have been able to provide a detailed account. It's maybe for the best that I cannot.
I do remember that I went on a five-store-eighteen-website search for 2009 calendar pages for my datebook. While I know still using a datebook (and I do use it less since my Crackberry and I have become one) makes me, well, dated, it should not be that difficult to find new monthly pages. It was. And running around to stores sucked up energy that I had reserved for other more relaxing things.
I remember there being some issues with the computer. I think the printer had something to do with it, but my brain has blocked all this out in an attempt to protect me from the trauma.
There was also the night that I had planned to heat up some leftovers in the oven, but then, felled by a migraine, skipped dinner altogether. I unfortunately also skipped putting the leftovers back in the refrigerator. The next evening at dinner time found me very disappointed and again frustrated at how the horrible string of migraines played havoc with all aspects of my life. I wish there was a website where you could check in and somehow (retinal scan perhaps) check your grip. I always feel like I am losing mine. Grip on what, reality, control, whatever, it was definitely slipping.
I can't even begin to go into my awful afternoon where I embarked on a what was supposed to be a simple lab work appointment. Nightmare traffic, claustrophobic parking ramp that was full but admitting cars anyway leading to mayhem, all other parking lots full, wrong address for the lab, lengthy registering process, new shoes causing bleeding heels. That's as much as I can discuss that incident without painful side effects.
I am also in the midst of recovering from a medical test that I had on Wednesday. It turned out to be a much more difficult experience that I anticipated and am beyond happy that it's behind me. One of the things that helped me through the week was promising myself some relaxation this weekend, doing some writing and some reading to help revive my spirits and body.
There was also the chicken soup incident. Fearless Hero and I are big fans of rotisserie chicken, and in an attempt to be frugal and domestic we decided to make soup out of our latest carcass. After a flurry of phone calls to mom to get directions we embarked on the chopping and boiling and such. There must have been a game on and my nose was probably in a book or I was in the midst of a desperate attempt to catch up on household tasks neglected during the week. We each were checking on the pot's progress, but we each though the other was skimming the fat. We also didn't add enough water for fear that we would have watery soup. All of these ill fated decisions added up to our final creation: chicken jello. It was decidedly gelatinous and not so appetizing. The fate of several containers of the stuff in the freezer has yet to be decided.
It was during this week that we also learned some of those stereotypical expressions are created in fact and not always exaggerated references. We had some electrical and plumbing issues come up at our apartment. We had a very friendly capable plumber come over one evening to work on our kitchen sink. Do you see where I am going with this? Yes, the phrase "plumber's butt" is rooted in fact and continues every day. Our kitchen sink is much better though, thanks.
Fearless Hero and I also changed insurances upon our marriage (yes, I am now a dependent.) We started getting bills and statements that challenged our understanding not only of the parameters of our new policy but of the written word and logic itself. It was a very frustrating few days and he had to spend a lot of time on the phone trying to get it all straightened out. Now that I am part of an organization that has a complicated set of procedures that I am desperately trying to learn, this experience left me feeling that the world at large is just one large procedure whose intricacies will be slightly out of my grasp. Or grip.
And speaking of marriage, we recently had a weekend that we dubbed 'Wedding Weekend.' Now that I am employed and earning actual money we can proceed with our wedding plans in a more fiscally responsible way. Similar to one of our what-are-we-going-to-with-our-lives-who-should-move-where planning sessions, we bought large coffees and fired up laptop. We worked on our guest list and made lists of things to check into, to delegate, to save for, to eliminate, to consider, to lose sleep over. Apparently, you cannot invite everyone you know. And you have to feed them. Which is bunk. My dream wedding is to serve pb&js and then have an extensive dessert buffet. There is deep irony in me planning to feed the masses. There's a loaves and fishes joke in there somewhere but I can't quite tease it out. Or maybe I should do like I did during our Friday night Rec dinners, get behind the griddle and make a raft of pancakes or grilled cheese sandwiches. Luckily we have lots of help with the details and planning and a healthy perspective on what the day should really be about (for those of you hoping to take away a monogrammed book of matches or to see a hundred doves being released, please prepare yourselves for disappointment). It is an overwhelming task so I must figure out effective non stressful ways to manage it while still maintaining the excitement of the day. Fearless Hero's job will be to set up a wedding website, a resource for all things related to the Fearless Hero/Comagirl wedding. Just what the web needs, another source of information on our lives. Stay tuned.
Another recent weekend had me discovering tamales during a late night food run. They are fantastic and left me wondering how come no one ever told me about these before? What else is out there waiting for me to discover? I now live in a place that has a dizzying array of ethnic foods which is one of my favorite aspects of living in LA. I love the diversity of people and neighborhoods and languages and foods and rituals and faces.
We feasted on these tamales after a day spent in Pasadena looking at the floats from the Rose Bowl Parade. We drove down with Fearless Hero's sister and nephew (who needs a moniker as well, I just haven't come up with one yet. He's a pretty cool kid so it has to be worthy. I'm still trying to come up with a cool secret handshake for us) and took the shuttle to the grounds. All the floats are there with signs on each with a phone number you can call to get a detailed explanation of the materials used in their creation. They all followed the theme for the year, "Hats Off to Entertainment" and followed the rules of having everything on the entire float covered by flowers, plants or other organic material. They were most impressive up close. We were able to see detail that no TV camera could capture. They did look different than during the parade, mostly due to the absence of the dancers, performers and guests of honor who rode them during the parade on New Year's Day. The atmosphere was very much like a fair; they were selling Johnsonville brats and funnel cake and those roasted nuts that always smell fantastic. We ate and took a lot of pictures. It was a very Southern California thing to do.
And I haven't even mentioned our visit home for Christmas. It was Fearless Hero's first Wisconsin Christmas. He was treated to a variety of weather, from 30 below to the 50s. He shivered and shovelled and climbed the huge snow mound in front of Mom's condo, which he dubbed Mount Adelman. The weather inhibited some plans but overall we were able to spend lots of time hanging out with family.
We took him to Menard's (a trip to the man's mall, Fleet Farm, was prevented by another round of snow. It's on the agenda for next time) and I have a great shot of him sporting a hunter orange hat. He had real Sheboygan hard rolls and deep fried cheese curds. We also made a trip to Miesfeld's which is a well-known old fashioned excellent meat market in Sheboygan. They are so popular that they have a drive up window for people to pick up their orders. I turned my back for two seconds and Mom bought him one of their T-shirts with a scarily realistic and large picture of brats on the grill framed by ornamental flames. It's a sight to behold. Next time you visit, ask to see Fearless Hero's collection of WI/Milwaukee tshirts, it's impressive.
We also got to see a few friends who were able to make trips from Green Bay to see us. It's my hope that my next trip home will give me more time to spend in Milwaukee, I miss my old hometown and my friends there.
I rediscovered what a joy it is to give gifts that people really like. The whole gift giving process is different now. I must take into consideration shipping time and costs and my limited knowledge of stores in our area. We started in early October and were finished early to send a large box of gifts home before we arrived. I tried my best to think of ideas for people and to not dwell on how different and sometimes sad it is to buy gifts for people I was previously used to seeing on a regular basis. My favorite memories are watching my nieces tear into their boxes containing fuzzy boots, giving my brother a Tshirt I knew he'd like and a book that I hoped he would, watching my uncle and dear friend page through the photo albums I had created for them.
The best part was having everyone, my family and Fearless Hero, in the same place together. I was able to celebrate and relish the holidays in a whole new way. I so enjoyed watching him talking and playing and hanging out with my family and friends. It was touching how different people went to so much trouble for us and did whatever they could to make our visit such a memorable one.
It was the first time we travelled together. We tried to do one of our usual tearful goodbyes at the airports for old times sake but we just ended up giggling. It was an amazing experience not to travel alone, so much more relaxing, if you can use that word in reference to air travel. The crazy weather didn't affect our flights, which was a marvel.
But both when I landed in Milwaukee and a week later landing in LA, I thought "I'm home." I'm learning what that word really means, how it changes and can be both true and not true at the same time, how it affects your world view and your piece of mind. I think it's half the reason for writing this blog. It feels like a bit of what home is.
There was a week or two period that I remember referring to in a letter to my friend Cara as an Orgy of Frustration. So much went wrong so many days in a row that is seemed no matter what I tried to do, it went wrong. Coupled with trying to learn a new job it proved to be a very trying time. If I had had more time amidst the drama/trauma I would have been able to provide a detailed account. It's maybe for the best that I cannot.
I do remember that I went on a five-store-eighteen-website search for 2009 calendar pages for my datebook. While I know still using a datebook (and I do use it less since my Crackberry and I have become one) makes me, well, dated, it should not be that difficult to find new monthly pages. It was. And running around to stores sucked up energy that I had reserved for other more relaxing things.
I remember there being some issues with the computer. I think the printer had something to do with it, but my brain has blocked all this out in an attempt to protect me from the trauma.
There was also the night that I had planned to heat up some leftovers in the oven, but then, felled by a migraine, skipped dinner altogether. I unfortunately also skipped putting the leftovers back in the refrigerator. The next evening at dinner time found me very disappointed and again frustrated at how the horrible string of migraines played havoc with all aspects of my life. I wish there was a website where you could check in and somehow (retinal scan perhaps) check your grip. I always feel like I am losing mine. Grip on what, reality, control, whatever, it was definitely slipping.
I can't even begin to go into my awful afternoon where I embarked on a what was supposed to be a simple lab work appointment. Nightmare traffic, claustrophobic parking ramp that was full but admitting cars anyway leading to mayhem, all other parking lots full, wrong address for the lab, lengthy registering process, new shoes causing bleeding heels. That's as much as I can discuss that incident without painful side effects.
I am also in the midst of recovering from a medical test that I had on Wednesday. It turned out to be a much more difficult experience that I anticipated and am beyond happy that it's behind me. One of the things that helped me through the week was promising myself some relaxation this weekend, doing some writing and some reading to help revive my spirits and body.
There was also the chicken soup incident. Fearless Hero and I are big fans of rotisserie chicken, and in an attempt to be frugal and domestic we decided to make soup out of our latest carcass. After a flurry of phone calls to mom to get directions we embarked on the chopping and boiling and such. There must have been a game on and my nose was probably in a book or I was in the midst of a desperate attempt to catch up on household tasks neglected during the week. We each were checking on the pot's progress, but we each though the other was skimming the fat. We also didn't add enough water for fear that we would have watery soup. All of these ill fated decisions added up to our final creation: chicken jello. It was decidedly gelatinous and not so appetizing. The fate of several containers of the stuff in the freezer has yet to be decided.
It was during this week that we also learned some of those stereotypical expressions are created in fact and not always exaggerated references. We had some electrical and plumbing issues come up at our apartment. We had a very friendly capable plumber come over one evening to work on our kitchen sink. Do you see where I am going with this? Yes, the phrase "plumber's butt" is rooted in fact and continues every day. Our kitchen sink is much better though, thanks.
Fearless Hero and I also changed insurances upon our marriage (yes, I am now a dependent.) We started getting bills and statements that challenged our understanding not only of the parameters of our new policy but of the written word and logic itself. It was a very frustrating few days and he had to spend a lot of time on the phone trying to get it all straightened out. Now that I am part of an organization that has a complicated set of procedures that I am desperately trying to learn, this experience left me feeling that the world at large is just one large procedure whose intricacies will be slightly out of my grasp. Or grip.
And speaking of marriage, we recently had a weekend that we dubbed 'Wedding Weekend.' Now that I am employed and earning actual money we can proceed with our wedding plans in a more fiscally responsible way. Similar to one of our what-are-we-going-to-with-our-lives-who-should-move-where planning sessions, we bought large coffees and fired up laptop. We worked on our guest list and made lists of things to check into, to delegate, to save for, to eliminate, to consider, to lose sleep over. Apparently, you cannot invite everyone you know. And you have to feed them. Which is bunk. My dream wedding is to serve pb&js and then have an extensive dessert buffet. There is deep irony in me planning to feed the masses. There's a loaves and fishes joke in there somewhere but I can't quite tease it out. Or maybe I should do like I did during our Friday night Rec dinners, get behind the griddle and make a raft of pancakes or grilled cheese sandwiches. Luckily we have lots of help with the details and planning and a healthy perspective on what the day should really be about (for those of you hoping to take away a monogrammed book of matches or to see a hundred doves being released, please prepare yourselves for disappointment). It is an overwhelming task so I must figure out effective non stressful ways to manage it while still maintaining the excitement of the day. Fearless Hero's job will be to set up a wedding website, a resource for all things related to the Fearless Hero/Comagirl wedding. Just what the web needs, another source of information on our lives. Stay tuned.
Another recent weekend had me discovering tamales during a late night food run. They are fantastic and left me wondering how come no one ever told me about these before? What else is out there waiting for me to discover? I now live in a place that has a dizzying array of ethnic foods which is one of my favorite aspects of living in LA. I love the diversity of people and neighborhoods and languages and foods and rituals and faces.
We feasted on these tamales after a day spent in Pasadena looking at the floats from the Rose Bowl Parade. We drove down with Fearless Hero's sister and nephew (who needs a moniker as well, I just haven't come up with one yet. He's a pretty cool kid so it has to be worthy. I'm still trying to come up with a cool secret handshake for us) and took the shuttle to the grounds. All the floats are there with signs on each with a phone number you can call to get a detailed explanation of the materials used in their creation. They all followed the theme for the year, "Hats Off to Entertainment" and followed the rules of having everything on the entire float covered by flowers, plants or other organic material. They were most impressive up close. We were able to see detail that no TV camera could capture. They did look different than during the parade, mostly due to the absence of the dancers, performers and guests of honor who rode them during the parade on New Year's Day. The atmosphere was very much like a fair; they were selling Johnsonville brats and funnel cake and those roasted nuts that always smell fantastic. We ate and took a lot of pictures. It was a very Southern California thing to do.
And I haven't even mentioned our visit home for Christmas. It was Fearless Hero's first Wisconsin Christmas. He was treated to a variety of weather, from 30 below to the 50s. He shivered and shovelled and climbed the huge snow mound in front of Mom's condo, which he dubbed Mount Adelman. The weather inhibited some plans but overall we were able to spend lots of time hanging out with family.
We took him to Menard's (a trip to the man's mall, Fleet Farm, was prevented by another round of snow. It's on the agenda for next time) and I have a great shot of him sporting a hunter orange hat. He had real Sheboygan hard rolls and deep fried cheese curds. We also made a trip to Miesfeld's which is a well-known old fashioned excellent meat market in Sheboygan. They are so popular that they have a drive up window for people to pick up their orders. I turned my back for two seconds and Mom bought him one of their T-shirts with a scarily realistic and large picture of brats on the grill framed by ornamental flames. It's a sight to behold. Next time you visit, ask to see Fearless Hero's collection of WI/Milwaukee tshirts, it's impressive.
We also got to see a few friends who were able to make trips from Green Bay to see us. It's my hope that my next trip home will give me more time to spend in Milwaukee, I miss my old hometown and my friends there.
I rediscovered what a joy it is to give gifts that people really like. The whole gift giving process is different now. I must take into consideration shipping time and costs and my limited knowledge of stores in our area. We started in early October and were finished early to send a large box of gifts home before we arrived. I tried my best to think of ideas for people and to not dwell on how different and sometimes sad it is to buy gifts for people I was previously used to seeing on a regular basis. My favorite memories are watching my nieces tear into their boxes containing fuzzy boots, giving my brother a Tshirt I knew he'd like and a book that I hoped he would, watching my uncle and dear friend page through the photo albums I had created for them.
The best part was having everyone, my family and Fearless Hero, in the same place together. I was able to celebrate and relish the holidays in a whole new way. I so enjoyed watching him talking and playing and hanging out with my family and friends. It was touching how different people went to so much trouble for us and did whatever they could to make our visit such a memorable one.
It was the first time we travelled together. We tried to do one of our usual tearful goodbyes at the airports for old times sake but we just ended up giggling. It was an amazing experience not to travel alone, so much more relaxing, if you can use that word in reference to air travel. The crazy weather didn't affect our flights, which was a marvel.
But both when I landed in Milwaukee and a week later landing in LA, I thought "I'm home." I'm learning what that word really means, how it changes and can be both true and not true at the same time, how it affects your world view and your piece of mind. I think it's half the reason for writing this blog. It feels like a bit of what home is.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Working Girl
I've been waiting to get a quiet moment at home or a peaceful weekend afternoon to sit down and write. It seems like that isn't going to happen too soon. My brain is crammed pretty full lately and even in off hours I haven't been able to quiet down as much as I would like. So I'll do this and fits and starts and see how it goes.
To recap slightly. I now work at a regional center that provides services for people with developmental disabilities. I am a counselor, which is like a case manager. I am the contact person for the families to help them get services or to refer them to other resources that are available for their children. We are not a state agency technically but are contracted by the state to provide these services and to coordinate with other agencies to provide job placement, housing, healthcare, a variety of therapies etc for individuals from birth through adulthood. There are about 300 employees at this regional center; there are 24 of them around the state of California.
I started on Monday December 29. An atypical week but not the worst one in which to start. I worked Monday and Tuesday, then had two paid holidays for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I still can't believe that they are paying me for those. Many people had taken off for the holidays so it was a couple of very quiet days.
The regional center occupies space in three buildings located in row. They are nearly identical and each is arranged around an open courtyard. My longstanding spatial deficits are highlighted by this arrangement. My high school records which I recently accessed show a long history of this deficit, going back to grade school testing. All the verbal and written skills scores were pretty high (if you have been reading this blog that can hardly be a surprise) but the spatials were extemely low. As in ones or zeros. At the end of my first day it took all my powers of concentration to make it back to my car without it being obvious that reaching that goal was at all in question.
During my first two days my boss took me on a tour of these three buildings. I was introduced to a lot of different people and she took the opportunity to explain the functions of the different departments that we were visiting. She has been very laid back and friendly and has been at the regional center for a long time. I took advantage of her gift of gab while we were touring to shake a lot of hands, to project the vibe of 'Be nice to me, I'm pretty cool,' while simultaneously trying to remember the name of the person and what floor/building I was at. So yes, I was pretty tired at the end of those days.
Perhaps fatigue is to blame for the embarrassing incident that marked the end of my first work week. Since most of the bathrooms are located on the outside walkways, require a key to access them I was issued a key on the first day of work, along with the keycard that allows employees access to each floor. After using the restroom before leaving to meet Fearless Hero for lunch (chicken pot pie and pie in the middle of the day is a highly recommended practice) I left my key on the vanity. Of course I didn't realize this until much later. So this required an extensive search and a return to the restaurant to inquire there. These turned up nothing so with reluctance I emailed the departments on the floor most likely to have discovered the key (My picture ID card is still on order so there was nothing to indicate who was its unfortunate owner).
So my first emailI sent in a professional capacity to anyone at my new place of work was that A. I lost something and B. it was the bathroom key. Luckily A. someone turned it in and B. there was hardly anyone there so hopefully the incident will not be forever connected to my name.
I am now the proud resident of a cubicle. Mine is an acheivement in inoffensive grey. It is slightly elevated by the presence of a sliding door of opaque plastic. Before the impression is given that this somehow signifies status, it must be stated that my cube has one only because it is situated near the entrance to the floor and is therefore subject to more foot traffic and distractions.
One thing that is very apparent is that the jargon is very thick here, acronyms abound. Somedays the language is so indecipherable that I feel like I am at a Star Trek convention and everyone is speaking Kilngon. "The PST only applies when the client has ABA through TORT. Fill out a QPD to apply for review by the RNC committee." It's a bureaucracy so there is a dizzying amount of policies and procedures to learn.
The first thing I did on my first day was to meet with human resources and fill out a stack of forms. Stack doesn't seem to capture the amount of paper I received. I was also given an emergency kit in a red drawstring backpack. Inside was a cardboard box which contained pouches of emergency water rations and dried food. I found this very unsettling as it engendered thoughts of being trapped under heavy post-earthquake beams, waiting to be rescued from the rubble.
Office etiquette and politics are something that I only have the equivalent of a grade school level education, I have a feeling soon I will have a master's degree. Stay tuned.
One of the biggest things that has struck me during my first three weeks is the incredible diversity of the regional center. There are people of various ethnicites from various states and countries. Many languages are spoken on a daily basis. There is also a wide variety of backgrounds and paths that lead people to be working with people with disabilities. There are also quite a number of college affiliations, which is quite a big deal. I made a mental note to myself during the first week to get a college/pro football/basketball affiliation immediately.
The regional center appears to have a very collaborative atmosphere, the positions are filled with people who are willing to help. While there is a lot to learn, there is never the expectation that one needs to be an expert on everything, just to learn who to tap for their knowledge and experience. There will be stressful situations, deadlines, bureaucratic limitations and difficult families to contend with, which is the reason that they say it takes about a year to learn the job. That is quite a daunting statement, I hope that I am up for the challenge. But I am looking forward to the chance to work as a team and learn something, or many somethings, new everyday.
I will be responsible for about 70 families and unfortunately even though I am still in training, their lives and concerns don't pause. Other people have been putting out the fires but things are still behind. Now it is easier as no one expects much from me, especially if they run across me at about 3:45 when I get that glazed look at my face that signifies "Brain full. No more new information can be absorbed." The first few times this feeling came over me, it made me feel panicky. Lately it just kind of makes me giggle. It's like theater of the absurd. It's scarier to contemplate the point when they will expect me to know what I am doing. One parent left a message requesting a meeting to fill out some complicated government paperwork. Good thing it was only a voicemail, if the conversation had taken place in real time I would have responded, "You and me both."
Which brings me to the phone. I didn't touch it for the first few days, the sheer number of extra buttons was overwhelming. The red light was on ominously. I changed the outgoing message during my first week when there was no one around so I could minimize the embarrassment of having to do it over and over and over again. The lovely lady informed me that "You have seventeeen messages." I hung up that phone like it was on fire. Apparently they never changed the outgoing message after the counselor who preceeded me left. It took several rounds of emails and some haranguing but I finally can access the phone, and more frightening, the messages.
The building where I work is located in a busy retail street. The street where I turn in is actually called restaurant row (which contains Benihana, El Torito, Marie Callendar's, Elephant Bar) that doesn't include all the other outlets directly nearby. There is also a strip mall that shares our parking area that has a Starbucks. Having that so close proximity is dangerous. I am used to a much different scenario, where the only food readily available is a school lunch that is served on a plastic tray. The scent that permeated the building in the hour before lunch was usually enough to at least dissuade one from ordering lunch, if not kill your appetite altogether. When my boss was taking me on the grand tour, three different people warned me that in the first year of working there they gained ten pounds. Sheesh. My plan is to pretend there is only school lunch available and to drink lots of tea.
Which will keep me warm. I have a myth to bust and I don't want to disillusion anyone. I also hesitate to bring this up as I am writing this during the coldest night in 13 years back in Wisconsin. But here it is. It's not always warm and sunny here. Even though I know that the main problem is me and my confused body, I am often cold at work. As in freezing-keeping-my-coat-on-all-day-taking-breaks-to-run-the-stair-having-my-mom-send-my-long-underwear cold. Because it never gets that cold here the buildings aren't insulated the same. It is often damp and takes the buildings awhile to heat up. By then I am exhausted from shivering.
It's hard to dress California-like when all want is to be wearing wool and all the thick-soled shoes that my friend Judi made me get rid of when I moved (it's hard to describe how deeply they offended her finely honed shoe aesthetic). Our apartment has heating issues as well. The space heater is my best friend. Believe me, the irony is not lost on me that since moving the california Fearless Hero and I have become owners of an electric blanket (with dual heat controls, or he would roast. His body has normal temperature retaining qualities and actual consistent body heat). I have purchased several warm sweaters, a wool coat, and warm fuzzy boots. Fearless Hero got me soft fleece robe for Christmas. In return, one of his gifts from me was a DVD that has life-like action picture of a burning fire that turns your TV or computer screen into a fireplace. There's crackling and everything. We put this space heater right next to the screen and it is almost like having a real fireplace.
So when I take a break to make a cup of tea or am resting in between figuring out dueling computer programs, I look around the office and wonder how the heck I got here. This of course happened on my first day of work. I was eating lunch in my cube, enjoying the greyness, when I got an email that could not have been more perfect.
My first job was probably the best job I will ever have, I was extraordinarily lucky. I worked with a deaf student who is one of the coolest kids I have ever known. Our personalities and senses of humor were a great fit and we had a lot of fun during our school days for the six or seven years we worked together. He is out on his own now and is a new father. We haven't seen each other in awhile, on his birthday I set him messages to every number and address I had. His reply came as I was finishing my sandwich. It was the best part of my day. He is doing well, by the way, and his baby girl is beautiful. Getting his email both emphasized the surreality of the day and somehow helped me make peace with where my life has brought me.
So that's where I am so far in my life as an office working girl. There is sure to be much more so stay tuned.
To recap slightly. I now work at a regional center that provides services for people with developmental disabilities. I am a counselor, which is like a case manager. I am the contact person for the families to help them get services or to refer them to other resources that are available for their children. We are not a state agency technically but are contracted by the state to provide these services and to coordinate with other agencies to provide job placement, housing, healthcare, a variety of therapies etc for individuals from birth through adulthood. There are about 300 employees at this regional center; there are 24 of them around the state of California.
I started on Monday December 29. An atypical week but not the worst one in which to start. I worked Monday and Tuesday, then had two paid holidays for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I still can't believe that they are paying me for those. Many people had taken off for the holidays so it was a couple of very quiet days.
The regional center occupies space in three buildings located in row. They are nearly identical and each is arranged around an open courtyard. My longstanding spatial deficits are highlighted by this arrangement. My high school records which I recently accessed show a long history of this deficit, going back to grade school testing. All the verbal and written skills scores were pretty high (if you have been reading this blog that can hardly be a surprise) but the spatials were extemely low. As in ones or zeros. At the end of my first day it took all my powers of concentration to make it back to my car without it being obvious that reaching that goal was at all in question.
During my first two days my boss took me on a tour of these three buildings. I was introduced to a lot of different people and she took the opportunity to explain the functions of the different departments that we were visiting. She has been very laid back and friendly and has been at the regional center for a long time. I took advantage of her gift of gab while we were touring to shake a lot of hands, to project the vibe of 'Be nice to me, I'm pretty cool,' while simultaneously trying to remember the name of the person and what floor/building I was at. So yes, I was pretty tired at the end of those days.
Perhaps fatigue is to blame for the embarrassing incident that marked the end of my first work week. Since most of the bathrooms are located on the outside walkways, require a key to access them I was issued a key on the first day of work, along with the keycard that allows employees access to each floor. After using the restroom before leaving to meet Fearless Hero for lunch (chicken pot pie and pie in the middle of the day is a highly recommended practice) I left my key on the vanity. Of course I didn't realize this until much later. So this required an extensive search and a return to the restaurant to inquire there. These turned up nothing so with reluctance I emailed the departments on the floor most likely to have discovered the key (My picture ID card is still on order so there was nothing to indicate who was its unfortunate owner).
So my first emailI sent in a professional capacity to anyone at my new place of work was that A. I lost something and B. it was the bathroom key. Luckily A. someone turned it in and B. there was hardly anyone there so hopefully the incident will not be forever connected to my name.
I am now the proud resident of a cubicle. Mine is an acheivement in inoffensive grey. It is slightly elevated by the presence of a sliding door of opaque plastic. Before the impression is given that this somehow signifies status, it must be stated that my cube has one only because it is situated near the entrance to the floor and is therefore subject to more foot traffic and distractions.
One thing that is very apparent is that the jargon is very thick here, acronyms abound. Somedays the language is so indecipherable that I feel like I am at a Star Trek convention and everyone is speaking Kilngon. "The PST only applies when the client has ABA through TORT. Fill out a QPD to apply for review by the RNC committee." It's a bureaucracy so there is a dizzying amount of policies and procedures to learn.
The first thing I did on my first day was to meet with human resources and fill out a stack of forms. Stack doesn't seem to capture the amount of paper I received. I was also given an emergency kit in a red drawstring backpack. Inside was a cardboard box which contained pouches of emergency water rations and dried food. I found this very unsettling as it engendered thoughts of being trapped under heavy post-earthquake beams, waiting to be rescued from the rubble.
Office etiquette and politics are something that I only have the equivalent of a grade school level education, I have a feeling soon I will have a master's degree. Stay tuned.
One of the biggest things that has struck me during my first three weeks is the incredible diversity of the regional center. There are people of various ethnicites from various states and countries. Many languages are spoken on a daily basis. There is also a wide variety of backgrounds and paths that lead people to be working with people with disabilities. There are also quite a number of college affiliations, which is quite a big deal. I made a mental note to myself during the first week to get a college/pro football/basketball affiliation immediately.
The regional center appears to have a very collaborative atmosphere, the positions are filled with people who are willing to help. While there is a lot to learn, there is never the expectation that one needs to be an expert on everything, just to learn who to tap for their knowledge and experience. There will be stressful situations, deadlines, bureaucratic limitations and difficult families to contend with, which is the reason that they say it takes about a year to learn the job. That is quite a daunting statement, I hope that I am up for the challenge. But I am looking forward to the chance to work as a team and learn something, or many somethings, new everyday.
I will be responsible for about 70 families and unfortunately even though I am still in training, their lives and concerns don't pause. Other people have been putting out the fires but things are still behind. Now it is easier as no one expects much from me, especially if they run across me at about 3:45 when I get that glazed look at my face that signifies "Brain full. No more new information can be absorbed." The first few times this feeling came over me, it made me feel panicky. Lately it just kind of makes me giggle. It's like theater of the absurd. It's scarier to contemplate the point when they will expect me to know what I am doing. One parent left a message requesting a meeting to fill out some complicated government paperwork. Good thing it was only a voicemail, if the conversation had taken place in real time I would have responded, "You and me both."
Which brings me to the phone. I didn't touch it for the first few days, the sheer number of extra buttons was overwhelming. The red light was on ominously. I changed the outgoing message during my first week when there was no one around so I could minimize the embarrassment of having to do it over and over and over again. The lovely lady informed me that "You have seventeeen messages." I hung up that phone like it was on fire. Apparently they never changed the outgoing message after the counselor who preceeded me left. It took several rounds of emails and some haranguing but I finally can access the phone, and more frightening, the messages.
The building where I work is located in a busy retail street. The street where I turn in is actually called restaurant row (which contains Benihana, El Torito, Marie Callendar's, Elephant Bar) that doesn't include all the other outlets directly nearby. There is also a strip mall that shares our parking area that has a Starbucks. Having that so close proximity is dangerous. I am used to a much different scenario, where the only food readily available is a school lunch that is served on a plastic tray. The scent that permeated the building in the hour before lunch was usually enough to at least dissuade one from ordering lunch, if not kill your appetite altogether. When my boss was taking me on the grand tour, three different people warned me that in the first year of working there they gained ten pounds. Sheesh. My plan is to pretend there is only school lunch available and to drink lots of tea.
Which will keep me warm. I have a myth to bust and I don't want to disillusion anyone. I also hesitate to bring this up as I am writing this during the coldest night in 13 years back in Wisconsin. But here it is. It's not always warm and sunny here. Even though I know that the main problem is me and my confused body, I am often cold at work. As in freezing-keeping-my-coat-on-all-day-taking-breaks-to-run-the-stair-having-my-mom-send-my-long-underwear cold. Because it never gets that cold here the buildings aren't insulated the same. It is often damp and takes the buildings awhile to heat up. By then I am exhausted from shivering.
It's hard to dress California-like when all want is to be wearing wool and all the thick-soled shoes that my friend Judi made me get rid of when I moved (it's hard to describe how deeply they offended her finely honed shoe aesthetic). Our apartment has heating issues as well. The space heater is my best friend. Believe me, the irony is not lost on me that since moving the california Fearless Hero and I have become owners of an electric blanket (with dual heat controls, or he would roast. His body has normal temperature retaining qualities and actual consistent body heat). I have purchased several warm sweaters, a wool coat, and warm fuzzy boots. Fearless Hero got me soft fleece robe for Christmas. In return, one of his gifts from me was a DVD that has life-like action picture of a burning fire that turns your TV or computer screen into a fireplace. There's crackling and everything. We put this space heater right next to the screen and it is almost like having a real fireplace.
So when I take a break to make a cup of tea or am resting in between figuring out dueling computer programs, I look around the office and wonder how the heck I got here. This of course happened on my first day of work. I was eating lunch in my cube, enjoying the greyness, when I got an email that could not have been more perfect.
My first job was probably the best job I will ever have, I was extraordinarily lucky. I worked with a deaf student who is one of the coolest kids I have ever known. Our personalities and senses of humor were a great fit and we had a lot of fun during our school days for the six or seven years we worked together. He is out on his own now and is a new father. We haven't seen each other in awhile, on his birthday I set him messages to every number and address I had. His reply came as I was finishing my sandwich. It was the best part of my day. He is doing well, by the way, and his baby girl is beautiful. Getting his email both emphasized the surreality of the day and somehow helped me make peace with where my life has brought me.
So that's where I am so far in my life as an office working girl. There is sure to be much more so stay tuned.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's Wish
I just returned from seeing the movie Milk. I'm sure by the time I get around to posting/sending this, the movie and Sean Penn in the title role will be nominated for several awards. The movie tells the story of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. He was a great influence on the gay rights movement in California and beyond. He was assassinated, along with San Francisco's mayor in 1978. Harvey Milk struggled to find himself and worked tirelessly to create a safe place in this world for people who were like him. He was defeated many times, discriminated against countless more, but he persevered. While an imperfect person like each of us, he is a hero to many then and now.
This post isn't really about the movie itself so I won't be a bore and retell the main plot points of the movie. You don't need to know each event of this man's life story to understand the feelings that it inspired. Such feelings could be inspired by any good movie or book or TV program that show us the stories of people and their lives, the struggles and the unexpected places that life takes them. (And I will also spare you yet another anecdote about how I couldn't find the theater and how the parking lot was like a NASCAR obstacle course.)
I am known to be quite susceptible to power magic of movies; they easily influence my mood. One of the reasons that I enjoy going to the movies is because the good ones allow you to see the world from someone else's perspective. This expands my understanding of people and increases my compassion towards them. The motivation for going to a movie on this particular day was to escape my eternal busyness, creating things to be productive, doing all sorts of things on my endless To Do lists in an attempt to fool myself into believing that this work will make a few things in my near future easier: a new job where I'll be spending my days away from the classroom and saying goodbye to my family after our week long holiday visit. Today I took a break from all that, or at least tried to.
All these things came together, the thought-provoking movie, the end of the year, and the new challenges ahead, to form my wishes for you for the New Year:
Freedom: To be yourself, to pursue your dreams big and small.
Support: To know that you are not alone and to have a cheerleading crew behind you.
A Sense of Place: To know where you fit in, to feel like you belong, and to be okay with The Place where you are right now.
Passion: A sense of purpose that inspires you to work towards something meaningful either in your professional or personal life. I think of all the different jobs you all have, the roles you play for the people in your lives; I hope your passion takes you to unexpected places, geographically and within yourself.
Love: To have love from the important people in your life, love that comforts, inspires, protects and shows you what life can truly hold.
Acceptance: For who you are and where you are on your journey. You don't have to live a life outside the cultural norms to struggle with your own shortcomings and the limitations put upon you. May you find it easier to be accepting of yourself this year.
Courage: To make a difference everyday.
Joy: In everyday achievements and in special occasions.
Hope: Harvey Milk said at some of the darkest moments of the human rights movement, "You gotta give them hope." Turning on the nightly news any day of the week tells us that there will be tough times ahead. May you find times places situations days and people that give you a hope that sustains you.
Moments: Like mine, where in a darkened theater or playing with your kids or laughing with your friends you find escape from stress and worry and respite from what wears you down. I hope you find the time to reflect, understand, and to breathe.
And I hope Santa brings you all sorts of great stuff and that you enjoy every calorie-laden treat and too-strong cocktail and that the parties you attend have the best snacks and only the people you want to see and that everyone likes the gifts you give them and you get the one gift you really really wanted and you have no travel problems and there is no family drama and you emerge on New Year's Day without a hangover ready for 2009.
These wishes for you, they are really a given. Thank you for everything you've all given me this year: chocolates and friendship, care packages and support, electric blankets and thoughtful cards, warm conversations and funny emails. May the New Year bring you everything happy.
This post isn't really about the movie itself so I won't be a bore and retell the main plot points of the movie. You don't need to know each event of this man's life story to understand the feelings that it inspired. Such feelings could be inspired by any good movie or book or TV program that show us the stories of people and their lives, the struggles and the unexpected places that life takes them. (And I will also spare you yet another anecdote about how I couldn't find the theater and how the parking lot was like a NASCAR obstacle course.)
I am known to be quite susceptible to power magic of movies; they easily influence my mood. One of the reasons that I enjoy going to the movies is because the good ones allow you to see the world from someone else's perspective. This expands my understanding of people and increases my compassion towards them. The motivation for going to a movie on this particular day was to escape my eternal busyness, creating things to be productive, doing all sorts of things on my endless To Do lists in an attempt to fool myself into believing that this work will make a few things in my near future easier: a new job where I'll be spending my days away from the classroom and saying goodbye to my family after our week long holiday visit. Today I took a break from all that, or at least tried to.
All these things came together, the thought-provoking movie, the end of the year, and the new challenges ahead, to form my wishes for you for the New Year:
Freedom: To be yourself, to pursue your dreams big and small.
Support: To know that you are not alone and to have a cheerleading crew behind you.
A Sense of Place: To know where you fit in, to feel like you belong, and to be okay with The Place where you are right now.
Passion: A sense of purpose that inspires you to work towards something meaningful either in your professional or personal life. I think of all the different jobs you all have, the roles you play for the people in your lives; I hope your passion takes you to unexpected places, geographically and within yourself.
Love: To have love from the important people in your life, love that comforts, inspires, protects and shows you what life can truly hold.
Acceptance: For who you are and where you are on your journey. You don't have to live a life outside the cultural norms to struggle with your own shortcomings and the limitations put upon you. May you find it easier to be accepting of yourself this year.
Courage: To make a difference everyday.
Joy: In everyday achievements and in special occasions.
Hope: Harvey Milk said at some of the darkest moments of the human rights movement, "You gotta give them hope." Turning on the nightly news any day of the week tells us that there will be tough times ahead. May you find times places situations days and people that give you a hope that sustains you.
Moments: Like mine, where in a darkened theater or playing with your kids or laughing with your friends you find escape from stress and worry and respite from what wears you down. I hope you find the time to reflect, understand, and to breathe.
And I hope Santa brings you all sorts of great stuff and that you enjoy every calorie-laden treat and too-strong cocktail and that the parties you attend have the best snacks and only the people you want to see and that everyone likes the gifts you give them and you get the one gift you really really wanted and you have no travel problems and there is no family drama and you emerge on New Year's Day without a hangover ready for 2009.
These wishes for you, they are really a given. Thank you for everything you've all given me this year: chocolates and friendship, care packages and support, electric blankets and thoughtful cards, warm conversations and funny emails. May the New Year bring you everything happy.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Favorite Things
Hello all,
Things here have been just southwest of Crazy here, so I have not posted anything in awhile. Perhaps the best way to give a little summary of what's been going on is to talk about my current favorite things. Apologies if you get that song stuck in your head, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..."
Favorite lounging pants - Lucky brand wide leg drawstring. They are so soft and comfy but still look nice. Get them at TJ Maxx, do not, repeat, do not pay $80 full price. TJ Maxx, incidentally, makes the list as Favorite Store. I went out today in my new pants, a Roxy tank top and graphic hoodie and flip flops. I saw a lady the next aisle over wearing pretty much the same version of my outfit but with the more exclusive Uggs (also a variation I enjoy, albeit with a less expensive brand of boot). I guess this is my first official California outfit.
Favorite Article of the Week - "How To Eat For Your DNA" in Eating Well magazine. One of the article headings was "Like Sweets? Blame Your Grandparents." It goes on to say that in May, scientists discovered a gene that appears to stimulate the desire to eat sweet foods. People who possess this gene, handed down from your parents and grandparents, consistently consume more sugar and sweet foods than those with a slightly different variation of this gene. This scientific discovery absolves me from so many food choices and from my consistent cravings for sweets. It is a fantastic, and a very important discovery. Why fight it, it's not my fault.
Favorite Soap Opera - The Bold and the Beautiful. Seriously, because this show is only a half hour, the cast is limited. The result of that is that everyone is related in several ways or has dated/married/had children with a close relative. The big feud that is going on right now is between two men that are half brothers who have at one time or another also been stepfather/stepson, father-in-law/son-in-law and romantic rivals for the same woman. It's fantastic.
Favorite french fries - Garlic fries served at Le Creperie in Manhattan Beach. They come in a fancy cone (like at Trocadero in Milwaukee) with three different dipping sauces. They are cut much thinner than ordinary fries and have herbs and garlic sprinkled on top. They are amazing. No one will kiss you but you will be too fat and happy to care. Especially because you also ate a crepe while you were there (favorites are the Latin Lover and the Romeo and Juliet) so you are extra fat and happy. And in a carb coma.
Favorite Current Movie - The Usual Suspects. I got it from Blockbuster for a week and basically had it on repeat. Luckily Fearless Hero likes it too or he may have moved out. I never get sick of it. And one of it's scenes was shot at the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro, which I visited with Laurie not too long ago.
Favorite Web Site - Hulu. It enables you to watch all sorts of stuff, cable TV shows that we don't have access too, and bad reality shows that you don't want to admit to anyone that you watch. Not that I watch that stuff.
"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashesSnowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes..."
(Sorry, couldn't help myself.)
Favorite Boutique - Udderly Perfect in Manhattan Beach. In general, since I've moved here, I haven't gone into many boutiques as I assume that their items are priced out of my league, but this one was a pleasant surprise. The name alone, the goofy cow head sticking out of the front, would have me easily walk past it. It is right next to the crepe place and while my friends and I waited for a table we wandered in. To my surprise it had lots of great items, and not too too expensive. I got some gifts there, including one for myself.
Favorite Food - Avocado Egg Rolls at Cheesecake Factory. Had one recently when my friend Tara was visiting from Tucson. She is a big fan, the first time I ever had them was with her when we flew in for Laurie's wedding. I also plan to have them again when Fearless Hero and I go out to celebrate my turning away from the unemployed lifestyle.
Favorite New City - Well, besides the El - Pasadena. Our afternoon visit there was very fun, mostly because of the bookstore. I am researching spots to visit when we go back. They include the Huntington Gardens, the Pacific Asia Museum, a few spots to have tea and scones and another bookstore to discover.
Favorite New Bookstore - Vroman's in Pasadena. I let out a long breath of relief when I walked through it's doors. It's a reader's paradise. They have a great selection of new books, and they are shelved right when you come in, unlike many chain stores I have been to lately (don't get me started). I loved wandering the stacks and reading the many staff recommendation cards that were hanging by favorite picks. They have a big children's section, an upstairs room with greeting cards, gift wrap and greeting cards, a room for author readings, a section with unique gifts. I could gush on and on. We loved it. And plan to go back soon. When I checked out the cashier asked if I was a member of their Gives Back program. It's aprogram that gives a portion of their profits from sales to members to local charities. Harry W. Schwartz's Bookstores in Milwaukee, my Favorite Bookstore, have a similar program and I have been asked that question every time when I purchased books there. For a second I felt just at home.
Favorite New Book Purchase - a leatherbound copy of A Christmas Carol bound with gold gilt edges and a copy of Twas the Night Before Christmas included at the end. Nothing puts me in the Christmas mood like reading about Scrooge and his ghosts. I have been looking for just such a handsome copy for a long time and never expected to find one for such a reasonable price.
Favorite Christmas Ornaments - two mini snowglobe ornaments with snowmen inside. One has the name "Beth" on the base, the other "Connie" since that was the closest we could come to Constante, which is usually what his name sounds like when people try to pronounce it. We are going to try and alter it so it's a little more accurate (For the record, it's pronounced Kun-STAHN-tay.)
Favorite Tea - Scarlet tea made by Rishi Tea Co. I first had it at a now-defunct neighborhood place in Milwaukee and it's been my favorite ever since. The last trip home I found some at Outpost Foods and stocked up. When I don't feel well and can't eat much, this is the most comforting thing.
Favorite New Hair Care Products - John Frieda Weather Works. The humidity here is a strange beast indeed. This stuff prevents the end-of-the-day fuzzy head. And the beginning of the day fuzzy head. I have yet to find someone here to cut my hair, the task of finding a new stylist engenders much anxiety. I have had, like, three people my whole life cut my hair. And I don't want to go to some snotty salon and shell out the equivalent of a car payment. Another challenge to face next week, most likely using the website Yelp to get user reviews on local salons. I'm on this site even more than Hulu.
Favorite Comfort Meal - Baker's Square: Chicken tenders with honey mustard dipping sauce, fries, salad with Thousand Island dressing, cornbread, french silk pie and a coke. I used to get this in college and it became my favorite meal to have after some nasty medical test. I had it again the day after Thanksgiving, after my latest nasty test, and it did the trick yet again. I have to figure out where they get their honey mustard sauce - it's awesome.
Favorite Holiday Purchase - Well, I have several gifts that I feel pretty smug about but for obvious reasons cannot share them here. In celebration of our we-have-almost-all-our-Christmas-shopping-done-and-it's-not-even-December-yet smugness, we spent a lovely evening at our local 24 hour Walgreens. We bought a four foot prelit Christmas tree for the stunning bargain price of $15. We call it our Charlie Brown tree. We decorated it with some of the ornaments I have with me here (thanks for storing them Becca, and thanks for sending them, Dad) and topped it with our $1.99 silver star tree topper, while the Beatles Yellow Submarine movie played on the TV, my tree-decorating ritual. It's perfect. I am hoping it will help me get into the holiday spirit in the absence of some of my usual holiday rituals. I will miss the Rec Christmas party and my usual baking binge. I better start eating my...
Favorite Christmas Food - Angelfood candy. Also called sponge candy. It's a honeycomb-like chunk of crunchy with a chocolate coating. It's all sugar - it's fantastic. And because of the aforementioned article, it's not my fault that I love it so. I used to buy a bag of Eileen's brand at the local grocery (I was sure it was fresh since they only carried it at holiday time) as a kid and continued the tradition. I limit myself to one piece a day.
Favorite Holiday Ritual That I'm Too Old For But I Don't Care I Still Love It - St, Nick's Day, December 6. I had a box from both my parents sitting under the tree. What could be better? I already got a grown-up job, what more do you want from me?
Favorite 24 Hour Restaurant - Supplanting the venerated Ma Fisher's in Milwaukee is The Kettle. It is in Manhattan Beach and it quite a bit classier without being too pretentious. They have an extensive menu and a cool vibe inside. Their Chicken Curry wrap is something I dream about. And their sweet potato fries, too.
Favorite Thing in My Purse - Gift Cards. Guilt-free shopping is a great thing. We just got a new comforter set (it took me forever to find one that we liked that didn't cost the moon or that wasn't too masculine or too girly or too ugly, because believe me, there are a lot of really ugly bedspreads out there, and shiny shiny ones too) and with some money left on one we got for our wedding, we can now go to Pier 1 to pick out a fancy decorative pillow. Frivolous, yes, but fancy and fun.
Favorite Beverage - Sprite over the rocks with a little bit of maraschino cherry juice. That's a Shirley Temple, right? I used to have it at Stock's Supper Club on special nights out with my family. Remember their garlic toasts? Mmmmm. Wow, I eat a lot of crap. The next post will have lots of references to nonfat smoothies with wheat grass shots and piles of vegetables.
Favorite Thing About Today - to have the time for a quiet morning to read and to write to you all. That's a good favorite thing.
Things here have been just southwest of Crazy here, so I have not posted anything in awhile. Perhaps the best way to give a little summary of what's been going on is to talk about my current favorite things. Apologies if you get that song stuck in your head, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..."
Favorite lounging pants - Lucky brand wide leg drawstring. They are so soft and comfy but still look nice. Get them at TJ Maxx, do not, repeat, do not pay $80 full price. TJ Maxx, incidentally, makes the list as Favorite Store. I went out today in my new pants, a Roxy tank top and graphic hoodie and flip flops. I saw a lady the next aisle over wearing pretty much the same version of my outfit but with the more exclusive Uggs (also a variation I enjoy, albeit with a less expensive brand of boot). I guess this is my first official California outfit.
Favorite Article of the Week - "How To Eat For Your DNA" in Eating Well magazine. One of the article headings was "Like Sweets? Blame Your Grandparents." It goes on to say that in May, scientists discovered a gene that appears to stimulate the desire to eat sweet foods. People who possess this gene, handed down from your parents and grandparents, consistently consume more sugar and sweet foods than those with a slightly different variation of this gene. This scientific discovery absolves me from so many food choices and from my consistent cravings for sweets. It is a fantastic, and a very important discovery. Why fight it, it's not my fault.
Favorite Soap Opera - The Bold and the Beautiful. Seriously, because this show is only a half hour, the cast is limited. The result of that is that everyone is related in several ways or has dated/married/had children with a close relative. The big feud that is going on right now is between two men that are half brothers who have at one time or another also been stepfather/stepson, father-in-law/son-in-law and romantic rivals for the same woman. It's fantastic.
Favorite french fries - Garlic fries served at Le Creperie in Manhattan Beach. They come in a fancy cone (like at Trocadero in Milwaukee) with three different dipping sauces. They are cut much thinner than ordinary fries and have herbs and garlic sprinkled on top. They are amazing. No one will kiss you but you will be too fat and happy to care. Especially because you also ate a crepe while you were there (favorites are the Latin Lover and the Romeo and Juliet) so you are extra fat and happy. And in a carb coma.
Favorite Current Movie - The Usual Suspects. I got it from Blockbuster for a week and basically had it on repeat. Luckily Fearless Hero likes it too or he may have moved out. I never get sick of it. And one of it's scenes was shot at the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro, which I visited with Laurie not too long ago.
Favorite Web Site - Hulu. It enables you to watch all sorts of stuff, cable TV shows that we don't have access too, and bad reality shows that you don't want to admit to anyone that you watch. Not that I watch that stuff.
"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashesSnowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes..."
(Sorry, couldn't help myself.)
Favorite Boutique - Udderly Perfect in Manhattan Beach. In general, since I've moved here, I haven't gone into many boutiques as I assume that their items are priced out of my league, but this one was a pleasant surprise. The name alone, the goofy cow head sticking out of the front, would have me easily walk past it. It is right next to the crepe place and while my friends and I waited for a table we wandered in. To my surprise it had lots of great items, and not too too expensive. I got some gifts there, including one for myself.
Favorite Food - Avocado Egg Rolls at Cheesecake Factory. Had one recently when my friend Tara was visiting from Tucson. She is a big fan, the first time I ever had them was with her when we flew in for Laurie's wedding. I also plan to have them again when Fearless Hero and I go out to celebrate my turning away from the unemployed lifestyle.
Favorite New City - Well, besides the El - Pasadena. Our afternoon visit there was very fun, mostly because of the bookstore. I am researching spots to visit when we go back. They include the Huntington Gardens, the Pacific Asia Museum, a few spots to have tea and scones and another bookstore to discover.
Favorite New Bookstore - Vroman's in Pasadena. I let out a long breath of relief when I walked through it's doors. It's a reader's paradise. They have a great selection of new books, and they are shelved right when you come in, unlike many chain stores I have been to lately (don't get me started). I loved wandering the stacks and reading the many staff recommendation cards that were hanging by favorite picks. They have a big children's section, an upstairs room with greeting cards, gift wrap and greeting cards, a room for author readings, a section with unique gifts. I could gush on and on. We loved it. And plan to go back soon. When I checked out the cashier asked if I was a member of their Gives Back program. It's aprogram that gives a portion of their profits from sales to members to local charities. Harry W. Schwartz's Bookstores in Milwaukee, my Favorite Bookstore, have a similar program and I have been asked that question every time when I purchased books there. For a second I felt just at home.
Favorite New Book Purchase - a leatherbound copy of A Christmas Carol bound with gold gilt edges and a copy of Twas the Night Before Christmas included at the end. Nothing puts me in the Christmas mood like reading about Scrooge and his ghosts. I have been looking for just such a handsome copy for a long time and never expected to find one for such a reasonable price.
Favorite Christmas Ornaments - two mini snowglobe ornaments with snowmen inside. One has the name "Beth" on the base, the other "Connie" since that was the closest we could come to Constante, which is usually what his name sounds like when people try to pronounce it. We are going to try and alter it so it's a little more accurate (For the record, it's pronounced Kun-STAHN-tay.)
Favorite Tea - Scarlet tea made by Rishi Tea Co. I first had it at a now-defunct neighborhood place in Milwaukee and it's been my favorite ever since. The last trip home I found some at Outpost Foods and stocked up. When I don't feel well and can't eat much, this is the most comforting thing.
Favorite New Hair Care Products - John Frieda Weather Works. The humidity here is a strange beast indeed. This stuff prevents the end-of-the-day fuzzy head. And the beginning of the day fuzzy head. I have yet to find someone here to cut my hair, the task of finding a new stylist engenders much anxiety. I have had, like, three people my whole life cut my hair. And I don't want to go to some snotty salon and shell out the equivalent of a car payment. Another challenge to face next week, most likely using the website Yelp to get user reviews on local salons. I'm on this site even more than Hulu.
Favorite Comfort Meal - Baker's Square: Chicken tenders with honey mustard dipping sauce, fries, salad with Thousand Island dressing, cornbread, french silk pie and a coke. I used to get this in college and it became my favorite meal to have after some nasty medical test. I had it again the day after Thanksgiving, after my latest nasty test, and it did the trick yet again. I have to figure out where they get their honey mustard sauce - it's awesome.
Favorite Holiday Purchase - Well, I have several gifts that I feel pretty smug about but for obvious reasons cannot share them here. In celebration of our we-have-almost-all-our-Christmas-shopping-done-and-it's-not-even-December-yet smugness, we spent a lovely evening at our local 24 hour Walgreens. We bought a four foot prelit Christmas tree for the stunning bargain price of $15. We call it our Charlie Brown tree. We decorated it with some of the ornaments I have with me here (thanks for storing them Becca, and thanks for sending them, Dad) and topped it with our $1.99 silver star tree topper, while the Beatles Yellow Submarine movie played on the TV, my tree-decorating ritual. It's perfect. I am hoping it will help me get into the holiday spirit in the absence of some of my usual holiday rituals. I will miss the Rec Christmas party and my usual baking binge. I better start eating my...
Favorite Christmas Food - Angelfood candy. Also called sponge candy. It's a honeycomb-like chunk of crunchy with a chocolate coating. It's all sugar - it's fantastic. And because of the aforementioned article, it's not my fault that I love it so. I used to buy a bag of Eileen's brand at the local grocery (I was sure it was fresh since they only carried it at holiday time) as a kid and continued the tradition. I limit myself to one piece a day.
Favorite Holiday Ritual That I'm Too Old For But I Don't Care I Still Love It - St, Nick's Day, December 6. I had a box from both my parents sitting under the tree. What could be better? I already got a grown-up job, what more do you want from me?
Favorite 24 Hour Restaurant - Supplanting the venerated Ma Fisher's in Milwaukee is The Kettle. It is in Manhattan Beach and it quite a bit classier without being too pretentious. They have an extensive menu and a cool vibe inside. Their Chicken Curry wrap is something I dream about. And their sweet potato fries, too.
Favorite Thing in My Purse - Gift Cards. Guilt-free shopping is a great thing. We just got a new comforter set (it took me forever to find one that we liked that didn't cost the moon or that wasn't too masculine or too girly or too ugly, because believe me, there are a lot of really ugly bedspreads out there, and shiny shiny ones too) and with some money left on one we got for our wedding, we can now go to Pier 1 to pick out a fancy decorative pillow. Frivolous, yes, but fancy and fun.
Favorite Beverage - Sprite over the rocks with a little bit of maraschino cherry juice. That's a Shirley Temple, right? I used to have it at Stock's Supper Club on special nights out with my family. Remember their garlic toasts? Mmmmm. Wow, I eat a lot of crap. The next post will have lots of references to nonfat smoothies with wheat grass shots and piles of vegetables.
Favorite Thing About Today - to have the time for a quiet morning to read and to write to you all. That's a good favorite thing.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
A Tale of Two Job Offers
Once upon a time there was a girl who moved really really far away. To a land of movie stars and sunshine and beaches and altogether too many people. She got disoriented. And got married. Not necessarily in that order. Then she got to the business of looking for a job. Fairy tale couples can't survive on one income in this day and age.
When I moved here (Hi, it's the princess in this scenario speaking. The narrator had an audition/plastic surgery procedure to go to so I am taking over the narrating duties), I kept my mind open to the possible jobs that I would get. Since I missed the start of the school year, prime time for hiring classroom interpreters, I knew that I may have to look for something different, or cobble together a few part time things to bring in some income until a stable position came along.
I didn't keep my mind open to the possibility of it taking so long to find a job. I knew from the outset that job hunting ranks fairly low on my list of stellar skills, hovering right there with surfing and getting gas in LA, apparently.
I didn't get any call backs, and had only one phone interview so outlook became bleak indeed.
Then came a two week flurry.
Monday
One sunny Morning morning I received a call from a regional center that provides services for people with disabilities and their families requesting an interview. I had heard of them from a friend of Fearless Hero's whose children had been clients. She has been quite a godsend in my job search, passing my name and resume along to her contacts in the deaf/hard of hearing field and sending my resume to this center. They wanted to fit me in on Thursday so we settled on an afternoon appointment.
Luckily, before I moved out here, in a fit of uncharacteristic optimism, and amidst a thousand other tasks, I went shopping for interview outfit for just this occasion. I tagged along with my dad and brother as they hit the outlet mall. I had much success at the Banana Republic outlet store and they were both very patient while I tried on a zillion outfits. I actually found two nice pairs of pants and button down dress shirts that would be suitable for any interview in any weather. Thanks to Pops, I left the store with both of them.
Tuesday
I was oh so smart and did a little recon before my interview. I have GPS services on my Crackberry but I wanted to find the place beforehand so I could confine my nervousness to the actual interview. I'm so glad I did, as the building is nestled in a busy shopping district amongst a slew of strip malls, department stores, restaurants and hotels. My GPS lady (we are still trying to come up with an appropriate name for the voice in there. Marcheline is currently the favorite, as the name needs to be ever so slightly snotty. And it can't be a Latino name, you should hear how she murders the pronunciation of "Sepulveda" and "La Cienaga.") is very ineffectual when it comes to parking lots and off road locations. She kept saying "Your destination is on your right" which was a Starbucks. I did find it after several turn-arounds and so after returning home and engaging in a long ironing session, I was ready.
Thursday
The interview went exceptionally well. I was comfortable with the two interviewers right away and they didn't throw any question at me that was too tough to answer. I was able to relate all the skills I had learned from interpreting and my work with people with special needs to the required job duties of the position. I came up with good examples and stories and was able to come up with a sincere answer about why someone who has been interpreting for so long would like a job in a different career path.
Afterwards I was shown into a small conference room where I was given a laptop and a short memo to write to my imaginary supervisor. It was a test of not only my writing ability but my ease at using a computer. I felt like I was back in college, writing some BS answer to a meaningless question. My creative writing teachers would be proud, as I did take a few minutes to jot down ideas and organize my thoughts before I started writing, which actually saved me time in the long run. I was given a time limit of a half hour and finished just in time.
I left feeling very positive about my experience and knew that I couldn't have done any better. If I didn't get the job it was because they didn't feel my skills would transfer, not because I hadn't conveyed myself well.
They said they would get back to me in one to two weeks.
Friday
The next morning at 8:15 one of the interviewers called with one additional question they had forgotten to ask in the interview. They made sure I had left my letters of reference with HR and requested permission to contact them. They were, she told me, very interested. Fearless Hero had not left for work and shared my excitement after he got over his shock that I was making coherent sentences that early in the morning.
Saturday/Sunday
It was so nice to spend a day in California that wasn't full of anxiety about being jobless. I thoroughly enjoyed a slight break from the hunt. The weekend was spent with less evil butterflies in my stomach.
Monday
Then I promptly got sick. I didn't mean to, but the following Monday morning found me on our new couch, defeated and resigned to a day of rest and bad TV.
This was the day I got another call for a job interview, this time from a large area School District.
I had submitted my application through their online system months ago and they wanted to interview me that week. I agreed, more to get them off the phone before I said something stupid. I was surprised but pleased to have another avenue of employment open up.
Wednesday
Since the interview was scheduled during the morning rush hour and I was still struggling really hard with my latest symptoms, Fearless Hero was my chauffeur. I ironed my outfit again and set off, all the while counting the seconds until could be back home, chocolate shake in hand, to baby my ailing body some more.
While I went up to my interview Fearless Hero made the phone calls I was too nervous to make and set up an appointment with the physicians my medical team back home had recommended. While he was navigating that system, I went up to do battle with the bureaucracy of School District.
The reception room I found myself in upon arrival offered my no direction, all the staff was busy with other folks and their endless forms. Finally I was directed to the appropriate room for interviewees. I then began my processing with a staff member there.
In order to have all the required forms I had recently contacted my high school looking for a duplicate copy of my diploma. Putting aside the absurdity of this task (doesn't it follow that if I have a college degree, oh never mind) I was connected with the current guidance counselor, inevitably named Doris. She promptly informed me, with a slightly scandalized scold, that they of course could not provide me with that, I should have my own diploma and that she could not furnish me with a copy. I never got the explanation why, but was supposed to be satisfied by her explanation. I went to school there for four years so I promptly fell back into known patterns and knew better than to pursue it any further. Perhaps it was a sin and she was looking after my everlasting soul. Oh, by the way, it's a Catholic high school. And I learned enough there to know that that last comment could lead me straight to hell.
So I tried a different tack. I explained that I had recently moved across the country and that my original was probably in my father's basement, she agreed to send me a copy of my transcripts. What arrived a few days later was a two sided copy of every class I took, my driver's ed grade, my eighth grad placement scores, my ACT score, total number of tardies and absences, and my extracurricular activities. Way more information than any prospective employer needs. Dad did eventually find my diploma, in its original folder and sent it to me. Who would have thought I would ever need it?
So armed with my high school diploma, college diploma, and evidence of completion of an interpreter training program and sign language performance testing I filled out all the necessary forms for my 'test.' Since I was organized and had everything in order, I waited for a bit to be called back to the interview room.
What greeted me there were two interviewers, teachers of deaf students with the district, who were each armed with a laminated card of questions. They asked permission to record the interview and given that, we proceeded.
The interview took less than fifteen minutes. They only read what was on the card, took notes but did not follow up any of my comments, ask for clarification or in any way engage me in conversation. All the questions were eighteen parts could have had me talking for twenty minutes for each. I wasn't sure if they had seen my resume or were familiar with my experience so I just babbled on appropriately.
Afterwards I was told I would be contacted in two to three weeks but otherwise was not given any information about the procedure or the next step in the process. I returned to the car to find Fearless Hero with Laptop on the roof of the car, armed with snacks and books, as he was expecting my battle with the bureaucracy to take hours.
That afternoon I was once again on the couch (I know, I know, I keep upping the glamour quotient of this blog by all these references. I will try to reign it in and not make you my readers so jealous about my glamorous life here in LA) when I got a phone call from a case manager at School District who works with the deaf and hard of hearing program. She had received the results of my interview and was anxious to talk to me about a position open in my area. She sort of offered me a job, without really telling me any details. I was still weak and dizzy as she talked and told me of a elementary school that with a deaf program that had been without an interpreter all year that would be perfect for me. She invited me to arrange a visit with her to the campus.
I really don't remember what I said, made some noises to the effect that she caught me off guard as I hadn't been informed yet how I did on my interview or received any information about working for School District. She told me that the reason that she could offer me a position so quickly is that my interview was scored and I ranked number one, scoring a ninety-nine percent. I also had the testing scores required both currently and after a new law that would go into effect next year upping the levels of skill required.
I was still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that they had given my interview a numerical score (how weird is that?) when she went on the talk about the job pay. She quoted me an hourly figure that had me quickly finding a chair and asking her to repeat the figure again. It made me want to accept the job immediately, I'm not ashamed to say, and left me wondering if I had moved to California and an alternate universe simultaneously
Friday
At 6:45pm, when I thought it was safe to answer the phone, the place of my first interview, the regional center, called and offered me the job as counselor, a service coordinator for families. I, of course, was caught off guard and didn't have all my questions at the ready (are you noticing a trend here?). I just tried to maintain the facade of intelligence and we agreed to touch base the following Monday to clarify any further questions I may have.
Saturday/Sunday
So the weekend was filled with mulling and pro and con lists and talking to lots of friends and family, hashing it out with each and getting different perspectives and different ideas of questions to ask each prospective employer. By Sunday night, I was leaning towards the interpreting job. If it is bad to say that the great pay was my top consideration then I pronounce myself guilty. I also liked the shorter work day of 6 hours a day, proximity to home, and the easier transition to a new job in a capacity I knew well.
Monday
Monday morning the School District's case manager phoned again to inform me that the position she had offered me was now filled by another staff interpreter, but that it may not be a permanent placement. The HR person I had spoken with earlier that morning was very friendly but was unable to give me firm answers about some of the benefits and procedures of being a staff interpreter. The case manager was able to give me further information but it was all very vague. I was extremely wary of about being put in the position once again of working with a school district where you were at their mercy when it came to placement, job duties etc. She assured me that probably the position would reopen in a few weeks time and as their number one candidate I would be placed there.
Now deeply concerned, I waited again to speak to the regional center about their offered position. I hoped that they wouldn't return my call as I didn't know what I would say. Thankfully they didn't, giving me more time to mull and expand my pro and con lists.
I must disclose here that the pro and con list, as well as all the job information for all the leads I have pursued during my job search here are all contained in one notebook that I have at the ready at all times. It has a striped pattern with cupcakes all over the cover. Clearly I am not qualified to be in charge of these kinds of decisions. An independent panel needs to be convened to review and decide on such matters for me. Clearly.
Tuesday
Tuesday had me going to my long-procrastinated nerve-wracking appointment with a new team of doctors at Cedars Sinai. It was in the Steven Spielberg building. I kid you not. It is located on either George Burns Road, which is near to Gracie Allen Drive. Seriously. I didn't see any famous people this time, but when I do, you will be the first to know. My friend Laurie was kind enough to take me and face the impossible task of entertaining a 20-month old at a medical complex for several hours. My job stress was put on the back burner for the as I dealt with scheduling multiple tests and entertaining new treatments and finding a suitable vein for my blood draw. Thankfully the team there seems top notch, were friendly and personable and looked to treat my system as a whole. Very lovely things, all.
That night I got a voice mail from School District's case manager again, stating that she had heard from her boss that the elementary school where they wanted to place me would most likely be opening up another position there, as it appeared that two interpreters were needed to handle all the mainstream classes for the deaf students. Most likely.
Wednesday
Wednesday finally got me into contact with the regional center, where they agreed to let me give them my final answer after the Thanksgiving holiday. They were able to answer a few more questions and shortly after our conversation their HR staff sent me an email outlining the benefits package.
I spent the rest of the day baking muffins and pumpkin pies and making applesauce. It was a nice diversion, and it was lovely to be able to step off the roller coaster for a little bit.
Thursday
I spent a lovely Thanksgiving at Fearless Hero's folks' house. My sister-in-law makes a mean turkey and prepared quite a feast for all of us. Someday soon, my nephew Tyler's skill at making mashed potatoes will give him the power to rule the world. The rest of the day was spent playing Rock Band and generally laying around.
Friday
In an effort to complete all tests my new doctor wants before I started a job I took the open appointment for the day after Thanksgiving. Fearless Hero once again was my chaffeur and once again packed Laptop and snacks and books to read while he waited the several hours for my tests to be done. While I had had these series of tests before this time was a much rougher experience. The rest of the day was spent in bed and I will close the paragraph by saying this: Mmmmmm…Vicodin.
Monday
In the end, after much consideration, I decided to take the regional center position. Although I know it will have it stressors, and that it will involve wrestling with bureaucracy, it seems a safer, more stable bet than with School District. Without assurances that the position will be available when my processing is complete (fingerprinting and a background check by the Department of Justice is required before one can begin work with the district) I would possibly be in the position of being eligible to be hired but have no open positions, or a position that would mean a long commute. Without any guarantees and only a vague understanding of how my placement could be changed at a later date or for the next school year, it seemed too risky a proposition to accept. And since I was feeling burnt out and looking for ways to get out of interpreting, it seems to make sense to be stressed out in a job that at least has the possibility to take me down another career path than to be feeling once again the frustration and helplessness of being at the mercy of another school district.
When you start working with deaf children, you quickly learn how much information hearing children absorb just be overhearing their parents talking, or from the television or radio. When hearing new vocabulary or learning new concepts, even if they don't fully understand, having heard the word before can help them more quickly understand it's full meaning. Deaf children have gaps that aren't due to a lack of intelligence but a lack of exposure to incidental learning. I understand this concept in a new way after moving to California and searching for a job. I don't have any background information about the area school districts, don't know the repuations of some of the local agencies and organizations, haven't heard the gossip about what it's like to work here or there. You don't realize the vast array of impressions and rumors and vague feelings you get about people and places until you try to operate without them.
Who knows, after a few months I may decide that my long standing policy that working with adults all day instead of a roomful of kids is way more stressful and way less fun is a truism for me. Maybe a desk job will drive me nuts. Maybe I will miss the rhythm being a part of the classroom and will embark on a search to change my career to make that happen. Or I may enjoy using other parts of my brain and other skills, and relish learning new skills in a new environment. I may feel a strange but heady combination of relief and confidence that I am making progress in my career. A brand new endeavor may be just what I need. In any case, progress and a steady paycheck is a good thing.
I sit and write this at the Blue Butterfly as I wait for the regional center to contact me to confirm that the days off I requested as part of my hire (holiday travel and yet another test in January) have been approved by whatever higher-up must approve them. I got out of the house otherwise I would be staring at the phone, like a teenager waiting for her crush to call.
So here's the part of the story where I tell you that they called back in the afternoon and everything is all set, that I am officially employed with a definite start date and they lived happily...
If you've been paying attention at all the these emails/blog posts you know that my life doesn't always work out that well...
Tuesday
Still no word from the regional center. Assume Higher Up must be very busy and cannot give required approval.
Get a call from the School District's case manager, wanting to know if I am still interested in the position. The status hasn't changed but they will probably have the opening in a few weeks. While I have informed them that I have another job offer I am considering, this does not make the wheels of bureaucracy move any faster. She wants to set up a visit next week, and at the end of her voice mail adds that her boss would like to speak to me and here is her number, please call her. I felt like I was in trouble, and almost fell into the patterns when I was speaking with Guidance Counselor Doris. I still haven't figured out why this person didn't call me herself, what exactly she wanted to discuss with me, and what I would say if I had to leave her a voice mail, "Hello, this is Beth Adelman, returning your summons to call you." So strange. I returned the call to the case manager later, informing them that I had accepted my other offer and would keep them posted when and if I received final confirmation...
Wednesday.
Because now I'm thinking I may have to take School District up on their offer. Honest to Pete. Paranoia is setting in. Nervous energy drives me into several projects, some productive, some decidedly ill-advised.
Thursday
Get up early to drive, yet again, to Cedars-Sinai for another test. Would like to postpone the test as I think Fearless Hero's cold has caught up with me, but there is no staff to field my phone call until after I have to be on the road. Am almost ready to turn onto George Burns Road when my phone rings (rudely interupting Marcheline). The regional center is finally calling me. The voice mail informs me they would like me to start on Monday, December 29, to sidestep the unpaid time for my holiday travel. I had to head into my appointment and in the several hours that I was there, they called once again. I was able to call them back afterwards and leave them a message agreeing to that start date.
So I guess I am gainfully employed. That was kind of anti-climactic, wasn't it?
I will keep you posted, hopefully it won't have to be a day by day kind of thing.
Friday I have deemed a holiday in the fairy tale land of Beth: Sigh of Relief Day.
"Then the princess searched high and low, slayed many dragons, and eventually found a job. That was when she really had to be brave. She and the Fearless Hero went out for Avocado Egg Rolls to celebrate, and she wore her glass slippers to their special dinner. Then she slept for a long time because she was really tired. The End."
When I moved here (Hi, it's the princess in this scenario speaking. The narrator had an audition/plastic surgery procedure to go to so I am taking over the narrating duties), I kept my mind open to the possible jobs that I would get. Since I missed the start of the school year, prime time for hiring classroom interpreters, I knew that I may have to look for something different, or cobble together a few part time things to bring in some income until a stable position came along.
I didn't keep my mind open to the possibility of it taking so long to find a job. I knew from the outset that job hunting ranks fairly low on my list of stellar skills, hovering right there with surfing and getting gas in LA, apparently.
I didn't get any call backs, and had only one phone interview so outlook became bleak indeed.
Then came a two week flurry.
Monday
One sunny Morning morning I received a call from a regional center that provides services for people with disabilities and their families requesting an interview. I had heard of them from a friend of Fearless Hero's whose children had been clients. She has been quite a godsend in my job search, passing my name and resume along to her contacts in the deaf/hard of hearing field and sending my resume to this center. They wanted to fit me in on Thursday so we settled on an afternoon appointment.
Luckily, before I moved out here, in a fit of uncharacteristic optimism, and amidst a thousand other tasks, I went shopping for interview outfit for just this occasion. I tagged along with my dad and brother as they hit the outlet mall. I had much success at the Banana Republic outlet store and they were both very patient while I tried on a zillion outfits. I actually found two nice pairs of pants and button down dress shirts that would be suitable for any interview in any weather. Thanks to Pops, I left the store with both of them.
Tuesday
I was oh so smart and did a little recon before my interview. I have GPS services on my Crackberry but I wanted to find the place beforehand so I could confine my nervousness to the actual interview. I'm so glad I did, as the building is nestled in a busy shopping district amongst a slew of strip malls, department stores, restaurants and hotels. My GPS lady (we are still trying to come up with an appropriate name for the voice in there. Marcheline is currently the favorite, as the name needs to be ever so slightly snotty. And it can't be a Latino name, you should hear how she murders the pronunciation of "Sepulveda" and "La Cienaga.") is very ineffectual when it comes to parking lots and off road locations. She kept saying "Your destination is on your right" which was a Starbucks. I did find it after several turn-arounds and so after returning home and engaging in a long ironing session, I was ready.
Thursday
The interview went exceptionally well. I was comfortable with the two interviewers right away and they didn't throw any question at me that was too tough to answer. I was able to relate all the skills I had learned from interpreting and my work with people with special needs to the required job duties of the position. I came up with good examples and stories and was able to come up with a sincere answer about why someone who has been interpreting for so long would like a job in a different career path.
Afterwards I was shown into a small conference room where I was given a laptop and a short memo to write to my imaginary supervisor. It was a test of not only my writing ability but my ease at using a computer. I felt like I was back in college, writing some BS answer to a meaningless question. My creative writing teachers would be proud, as I did take a few minutes to jot down ideas and organize my thoughts before I started writing, which actually saved me time in the long run. I was given a time limit of a half hour and finished just in time.
I left feeling very positive about my experience and knew that I couldn't have done any better. If I didn't get the job it was because they didn't feel my skills would transfer, not because I hadn't conveyed myself well.
They said they would get back to me in one to two weeks.
Friday
The next morning at 8:15 one of the interviewers called with one additional question they had forgotten to ask in the interview. They made sure I had left my letters of reference with HR and requested permission to contact them. They were, she told me, very interested. Fearless Hero had not left for work and shared my excitement after he got over his shock that I was making coherent sentences that early in the morning.
Saturday/Sunday
It was so nice to spend a day in California that wasn't full of anxiety about being jobless. I thoroughly enjoyed a slight break from the hunt. The weekend was spent with less evil butterflies in my stomach.
Monday
Then I promptly got sick. I didn't mean to, but the following Monday morning found me on our new couch, defeated and resigned to a day of rest and bad TV.
This was the day I got another call for a job interview, this time from a large area School District.
I had submitted my application through their online system months ago and they wanted to interview me that week. I agreed, more to get them off the phone before I said something stupid. I was surprised but pleased to have another avenue of employment open up.
Wednesday
Since the interview was scheduled during the morning rush hour and I was still struggling really hard with my latest symptoms, Fearless Hero was my chauffeur. I ironed my outfit again and set off, all the while counting the seconds until could be back home, chocolate shake in hand, to baby my ailing body some more.
While I went up to my interview Fearless Hero made the phone calls I was too nervous to make and set up an appointment with the physicians my medical team back home had recommended. While he was navigating that system, I went up to do battle with the bureaucracy of School District.
The reception room I found myself in upon arrival offered my no direction, all the staff was busy with other folks and their endless forms. Finally I was directed to the appropriate room for interviewees. I then began my processing with a staff member there.
In order to have all the required forms I had recently contacted my high school looking for a duplicate copy of my diploma. Putting aside the absurdity of this task (doesn't it follow that if I have a college degree, oh never mind) I was connected with the current guidance counselor, inevitably named Doris. She promptly informed me, with a slightly scandalized scold, that they of course could not provide me with that, I should have my own diploma and that she could not furnish me with a copy. I never got the explanation why, but was supposed to be satisfied by her explanation. I went to school there for four years so I promptly fell back into known patterns and knew better than to pursue it any further. Perhaps it was a sin and she was looking after my everlasting soul. Oh, by the way, it's a Catholic high school. And I learned enough there to know that that last comment could lead me straight to hell.
So I tried a different tack. I explained that I had recently moved across the country and that my original was probably in my father's basement, she agreed to send me a copy of my transcripts. What arrived a few days later was a two sided copy of every class I took, my driver's ed grade, my eighth grad placement scores, my ACT score, total number of tardies and absences, and my extracurricular activities. Way more information than any prospective employer needs. Dad did eventually find my diploma, in its original folder and sent it to me. Who would have thought I would ever need it?
So armed with my high school diploma, college diploma, and evidence of completion of an interpreter training program and sign language performance testing I filled out all the necessary forms for my 'test.' Since I was organized and had everything in order, I waited for a bit to be called back to the interview room.
What greeted me there were two interviewers, teachers of deaf students with the district, who were each armed with a laminated card of questions. They asked permission to record the interview and given that, we proceeded.
The interview took less than fifteen minutes. They only read what was on the card, took notes but did not follow up any of my comments, ask for clarification or in any way engage me in conversation. All the questions were eighteen parts could have had me talking for twenty minutes for each. I wasn't sure if they had seen my resume or were familiar with my experience so I just babbled on appropriately.
Afterwards I was told I would be contacted in two to three weeks but otherwise was not given any information about the procedure or the next step in the process. I returned to the car to find Fearless Hero with Laptop on the roof of the car, armed with snacks and books, as he was expecting my battle with the bureaucracy to take hours.
That afternoon I was once again on the couch (I know, I know, I keep upping the glamour quotient of this blog by all these references. I will try to reign it in and not make you my readers so jealous about my glamorous life here in LA) when I got a phone call from a case manager at School District who works with the deaf and hard of hearing program. She had received the results of my interview and was anxious to talk to me about a position open in my area. She sort of offered me a job, without really telling me any details. I was still weak and dizzy as she talked and told me of a elementary school that with a deaf program that had been without an interpreter all year that would be perfect for me. She invited me to arrange a visit with her to the campus.
I really don't remember what I said, made some noises to the effect that she caught me off guard as I hadn't been informed yet how I did on my interview or received any information about working for School District. She told me that the reason that she could offer me a position so quickly is that my interview was scored and I ranked number one, scoring a ninety-nine percent. I also had the testing scores required both currently and after a new law that would go into effect next year upping the levels of skill required.
I was still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that they had given my interview a numerical score (how weird is that?) when she went on the talk about the job pay. She quoted me an hourly figure that had me quickly finding a chair and asking her to repeat the figure again. It made me want to accept the job immediately, I'm not ashamed to say, and left me wondering if I had moved to California and an alternate universe simultaneously
Friday
At 6:45pm, when I thought it was safe to answer the phone, the place of my first interview, the regional center, called and offered me the job as counselor, a service coordinator for families. I, of course, was caught off guard and didn't have all my questions at the ready (are you noticing a trend here?). I just tried to maintain the facade of intelligence and we agreed to touch base the following Monday to clarify any further questions I may have.
Saturday/Sunday
So the weekend was filled with mulling and pro and con lists and talking to lots of friends and family, hashing it out with each and getting different perspectives and different ideas of questions to ask each prospective employer. By Sunday night, I was leaning towards the interpreting job. If it is bad to say that the great pay was my top consideration then I pronounce myself guilty. I also liked the shorter work day of 6 hours a day, proximity to home, and the easier transition to a new job in a capacity I knew well.
Monday
Monday morning the School District's case manager phoned again to inform me that the position she had offered me was now filled by another staff interpreter, but that it may not be a permanent placement. The HR person I had spoken with earlier that morning was very friendly but was unable to give me firm answers about some of the benefits and procedures of being a staff interpreter. The case manager was able to give me further information but it was all very vague. I was extremely wary of about being put in the position once again of working with a school district where you were at their mercy when it came to placement, job duties etc. She assured me that probably the position would reopen in a few weeks time and as their number one candidate I would be placed there.
Now deeply concerned, I waited again to speak to the regional center about their offered position. I hoped that they wouldn't return my call as I didn't know what I would say. Thankfully they didn't, giving me more time to mull and expand my pro and con lists.
I must disclose here that the pro and con list, as well as all the job information for all the leads I have pursued during my job search here are all contained in one notebook that I have at the ready at all times. It has a striped pattern with cupcakes all over the cover. Clearly I am not qualified to be in charge of these kinds of decisions. An independent panel needs to be convened to review and decide on such matters for me. Clearly.
Tuesday
Tuesday had me going to my long-procrastinated nerve-wracking appointment with a new team of doctors at Cedars Sinai. It was in the Steven Spielberg building. I kid you not. It is located on either George Burns Road, which is near to Gracie Allen Drive. Seriously. I didn't see any famous people this time, but when I do, you will be the first to know. My friend Laurie was kind enough to take me and face the impossible task of entertaining a 20-month old at a medical complex for several hours. My job stress was put on the back burner for the as I dealt with scheduling multiple tests and entertaining new treatments and finding a suitable vein for my blood draw. Thankfully the team there seems top notch, were friendly and personable and looked to treat my system as a whole. Very lovely things, all.
That night I got a voice mail from School District's case manager again, stating that she had heard from her boss that the elementary school where they wanted to place me would most likely be opening up another position there, as it appeared that two interpreters were needed to handle all the mainstream classes for the deaf students. Most likely.
Wednesday
Wednesday finally got me into contact with the regional center, where they agreed to let me give them my final answer after the Thanksgiving holiday. They were able to answer a few more questions and shortly after our conversation their HR staff sent me an email outlining the benefits package.
I spent the rest of the day baking muffins and pumpkin pies and making applesauce. It was a nice diversion, and it was lovely to be able to step off the roller coaster for a little bit.
Thursday
I spent a lovely Thanksgiving at Fearless Hero's folks' house. My sister-in-law makes a mean turkey and prepared quite a feast for all of us. Someday soon, my nephew Tyler's skill at making mashed potatoes will give him the power to rule the world. The rest of the day was spent playing Rock Band and generally laying around.
Friday
In an effort to complete all tests my new doctor wants before I started a job I took the open appointment for the day after Thanksgiving. Fearless Hero once again was my chaffeur and once again packed Laptop and snacks and books to read while he waited the several hours for my tests to be done. While I had had these series of tests before this time was a much rougher experience. The rest of the day was spent in bed and I will close the paragraph by saying this: Mmmmmm…Vicodin.
Monday
In the end, after much consideration, I decided to take the regional center position. Although I know it will have it stressors, and that it will involve wrestling with bureaucracy, it seems a safer, more stable bet than with School District. Without assurances that the position will be available when my processing is complete (fingerprinting and a background check by the Department of Justice is required before one can begin work with the district) I would possibly be in the position of being eligible to be hired but have no open positions, or a position that would mean a long commute. Without any guarantees and only a vague understanding of how my placement could be changed at a later date or for the next school year, it seemed too risky a proposition to accept. And since I was feeling burnt out and looking for ways to get out of interpreting, it seems to make sense to be stressed out in a job that at least has the possibility to take me down another career path than to be feeling once again the frustration and helplessness of being at the mercy of another school district.
When you start working with deaf children, you quickly learn how much information hearing children absorb just be overhearing their parents talking, or from the television or radio. When hearing new vocabulary or learning new concepts, even if they don't fully understand, having heard the word before can help them more quickly understand it's full meaning. Deaf children have gaps that aren't due to a lack of intelligence but a lack of exposure to incidental learning. I understand this concept in a new way after moving to California and searching for a job. I don't have any background information about the area school districts, don't know the repuations of some of the local agencies and organizations, haven't heard the gossip about what it's like to work here or there. You don't realize the vast array of impressions and rumors and vague feelings you get about people and places until you try to operate without them.
Who knows, after a few months I may decide that my long standing policy that working with adults all day instead of a roomful of kids is way more stressful and way less fun is a truism for me. Maybe a desk job will drive me nuts. Maybe I will miss the rhythm being a part of the classroom and will embark on a search to change my career to make that happen. Or I may enjoy using other parts of my brain and other skills, and relish learning new skills in a new environment. I may feel a strange but heady combination of relief and confidence that I am making progress in my career. A brand new endeavor may be just what I need. In any case, progress and a steady paycheck is a good thing.
I sit and write this at the Blue Butterfly as I wait for the regional center to contact me to confirm that the days off I requested as part of my hire (holiday travel and yet another test in January) have been approved by whatever higher-up must approve them. I got out of the house otherwise I would be staring at the phone, like a teenager waiting for her crush to call.
So here's the part of the story where I tell you that they called back in the afternoon and everything is all set, that I am officially employed with a definite start date and they lived happily...
If you've been paying attention at all the these emails/blog posts you know that my life doesn't always work out that well...
Tuesday
Still no word from the regional center. Assume Higher Up must be very busy and cannot give required approval.
Get a call from the School District's case manager, wanting to know if I am still interested in the position. The status hasn't changed but they will probably have the opening in a few weeks. While I have informed them that I have another job offer I am considering, this does not make the wheels of bureaucracy move any faster. She wants to set up a visit next week, and at the end of her voice mail adds that her boss would like to speak to me and here is her number, please call her. I felt like I was in trouble, and almost fell into the patterns when I was speaking with Guidance Counselor Doris. I still haven't figured out why this person didn't call me herself, what exactly she wanted to discuss with me, and what I would say if I had to leave her a voice mail, "Hello, this is Beth Adelman, returning your summons to call you." So strange. I returned the call to the case manager later, informing them that I had accepted my other offer and would keep them posted when and if I received final confirmation...
Wednesday.
Because now I'm thinking I may have to take School District up on their offer. Honest to Pete. Paranoia is setting in. Nervous energy drives me into several projects, some productive, some decidedly ill-advised.
Thursday
Get up early to drive, yet again, to Cedars-Sinai for another test. Would like to postpone the test as I think Fearless Hero's cold has caught up with me, but there is no staff to field my phone call until after I have to be on the road. Am almost ready to turn onto George Burns Road when my phone rings (rudely interupting Marcheline). The regional center is finally calling me. The voice mail informs me they would like me to start on Monday, December 29, to sidestep the unpaid time for my holiday travel. I had to head into my appointment and in the several hours that I was there, they called once again. I was able to call them back afterwards and leave them a message agreeing to that start date.
So I guess I am gainfully employed. That was kind of anti-climactic, wasn't it?
I will keep you posted, hopefully it won't have to be a day by day kind of thing.
Friday I have deemed a holiday in the fairy tale land of Beth: Sigh of Relief Day.
"Then the princess searched high and low, slayed many dragons, and eventually found a job. That was when she really had to be brave. She and the Fearless Hero went out for Avocado Egg Rolls to celebrate, and she wore her glass slippers to their special dinner. Then she slept for a long time because she was really tired. The End."
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