Oh, happy day!

My mom called me yesterday from the road, to let me know that they were surprisingly close to schedule, and would be arriving in under a hour. I told her, "I'll start the brown rice now. Just come to the house that has the person with a job inside." That's right, I am starting my new job in September.

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. You get your resume updated and in order, scan the internet job posting sites, apply, apply, apply...and you get the interview. You find a nice suit, do research on the company, and give a stellar interview. Then you wait. Wait. Wait. Then it happens:

You get the call. "Ms. Frigglesnitz, this is Linda from the Job-you-wanted Company. Are you still available for the position? You are? I am calling to offer you the job." Oh, happy dance of joy! If I were Gonzo, I would be tearing through the house, barrel-racing style, with the dead duck toy in my mouth. (Thank God I get to celebrate in other ways. Like going out to eat or something.)

And it's not the one with the weird hours, or the one where I'd work weekends, but a regular 8-4 M-F kind of job. Even though its pay is significantly lower than what I was making, it is about 20-25 hours less a week. (I was salary before, and I worked loooong days.) So the hourly rate is actually much higher. And a lot higher than unemployment.

But what about Gonzo?:
I am actually a little concerned that he's not going to take this well. I have been home since January, so he's gotten used to me being here a lot more. Well, he was okay when I went back to take those computer courses, but I have been home most days for over a month now. He is a pack dog and he likes his pack right where he can see them. That's a funny thing at bedtime when the one of us goes up and the other doesn't. He doesn't know whether to fish or cut bait. So he usually makes sure the one who went up is going to stay put, then comes back down for the other one.

Good boy, Gonzo. I'll be right here where you can see me (for a while.)

More to come, so come back if you're interested.

Staying home isn't what it's cracked up to be

"Wish I could stay home and do nothing!" No, you don't. No, No,...nuh-uh, you don't. It's not as fun as one would think. It's stressful to think that your household isn't making what it used to, and I was a major contributor here. The continual disappointments of potential employers not bothering to get back to you when they said they would about job opportunities that you really thought you'd be great at. The major highlights of your day being the mail arriving and your husband coming home from work. IT'S NOT FUN.

I had a great job, that I just loved and was good at until January of this year. Great pay, great bennys, sweet car...and the work wouldn't kill anyone. The hours were long and the driving got to be less than great, but all round, one of the best jobs I've had. (That includes the job at the diner when I was a teenager where I could drink all the Mountain Dew I wanted all day, and the car parking job when I got paid twice minimum wage to hold a cardboard arrow to show people the direction to drive.) So I was actually in mourning of that loss for awhile. Being laid off has happened to me twice in the past two years (more to come on that) so I adjusted faster this time. I would still rather work the long hours, drive to another state, get stuck in road construction, soothe angry customers, and do that job than sit here, getting bigger, and talk to the dog. I like to work. I know, that must make me a weirdo, but I do.

Our boy, Gonzo, however, likes it a great deal that someone's around more. And it's not just so someone with an opposable thumb is around to work that pesky doorknob, either. He is a pack dog, with that pack dog mentality and he wants his pack here where he can see them. There's my husband, the Alpha dog, and me the Zeta dog. Actually, he's not quite sure where I fit in the pack, because I will let him eat without me eating first, and I encourage him to sleep in our bed. Apparently, that sends mixed signals to a pack-minded dog. (My sister knows about these things.) If I'm upstairs on my husband's computer, he's content to be in the living room on the sofa or the dining room right behind my chair. But if I'm downstairs on my computer, he sleeps at the top of the stairs or underneath my desk. Especially if I'm eating. Which I do too much of, if truth be told.
I have to admit, though, it's nice to have company while I'm in limbo. Good boy, Gonzo.

Come back if you're interested. More to come.

"Trying to find a job, but it just keeps getting tougher every day..."

So I am currently way underemployed. I have a extremely part time job (not scheduled to work for the rest of the month already) and I am actively seeking. I have two jobs that I have interviewed for and am waiting to hear back from, and another two that I am going to interview with next week. That's why I'm home often enough to talk to the dog too much. Poor thing. That's him in the picture. He doesn't know what the heck I am saying, he just keeps listening in case I say, "Out," or "Eat," or " Would you like filet mignon for a snack today?" Well, I've never said that, but a dog can dream, can't he? He's a rescue dog, meaning that we saved him from the Humane Society. Well, they were taking pretty good care of him, but he wanted a home.

Gonzo's story-

My husband and I and his kids would often go the the Humane Society to drop off donations of cat and dog food that I had gotten cheap or free with coupons. (my lifelong hobby, coupon shopping for cheap stuff) While we were there, we would always go visit the puppies and the kitties (yes, I refer to full grown dogs as puppies). Our boy was there, and we met. He took to my husband immediately, but we weren't looking to get a dog just yet. I mean we had talked about getting a dog, and we now had the back yard that we needed to hold a dog, but we really weren't looking. So we left, and went about our lives.

The next week, more donations, another visit, and our boy set up such a racket when he saw my husband. (it sounded like he was being poked with a pin, kind of a "i,i,i,i" in a high pitched squeal, truly unpleasant) so of course, we all went over to see him again. "Gonzo" is his name, and he's a mixed breed, dog-by-committee kind of fellow, with a head that's too small for his body. I start the "He's was funny looking." "Whadda mean, funny looking?" dialog from Fargo, when they were describing Steve Buscemi's character. We all laugh, and hoped for the best for this poor pup with the tiny head and dated name. But we go home without him.

Another week, more donations, although I think I just brought newspapers that time to see the dog again. "I,i,i,i,i,i!" My husband stayed down at the end with Gonzo the whole time we were there, but still wasn't going to take him home. I stage-whispered to Gonzo our house number and told him to go over the wall that night. As we were walking away, my stepson said,"you're so mean; you didn't give him the street name!" That night, my husband said, " I think they going to put the orange tag next to his name. I think he's done for." We got him the next weekend.



Gonzo loves my husband with an adoration that creeps him out sometimes. Gonzo's ideal place is next to my husband on the sofa, staring at him. A dog and his boy.



More to come, so come back if you're interested.

Well, at least I hope it is

So I started to think today about the amount of time I have on my hands in a day, and how much of that is spent talking to the dog while my husband is at work. As the dog isn't much in the feedback department, that's an exercise in futility.
I figured that I would start a blog and see where it goes. Random thoughts, things I like, sites that rock, things that happen, and generally just my take on things. Hopefully, I'll remember to include enough information so one can determine my jumping off point. Suddenly it occurs to me how self absorbed blogging is.
Today, I got up early to see that I had won a messenger bag in a Mountain Dew/WOW contest. Nice way to start the day. Then I went back to sleep for an hour or so. Nicer way to start, nap in the morning~! I think I can expect to see the bag in two to three weeks, according to the past winners on their message boards.
If I still have your interest, come back soon. I'll try to fill in more details.