Why yes it is!

I update because there are things afoot in Rosyland. And they are goood things indeed. I've made a significant dent in my credit card debt thanks to moolah from MetLife. I find it amusing that right before I did this, Capital One upped my credit limit by about $1K. I've also been doing my resumes and whatnot. Today, I put in applications at Starbucks and Panera. ...yes, I know, not the grandest of jobs. But Starbucks pays pretty well from what I hear. And as my mom always says, it's easier to find a job when you have a job. I also got a call this evening. From Starbucks. Who wants to talk to me. :D I have to give the store manager a call on Wednesday to set up the interview, since that's the next time she's in. So. Fingers crossed people. Amusingly, mom has suggested that if they ask, I took some time off to work on my writing. She's sly, my mama.

In other family news... Dad has gotten himself a shiny new car thanks to the Clunkers for Cash deal that was going on. His old Green Hornet (a big ole mini-van that was pretty darned near its last leg) has been exchanged for a shiny, blue Chrysler Seabring. He has Sirius radio for a year, and he is really happy. Most likely because he's found the All Bluegrass Channel. XD He's a simple man, my dad.

I'm still knitting... although for some reason, I am having serious difficulties assembling my little stuffed hearts. Something happens when I start sew them up... they become distinctly un-heart shaped. The last one more closely resembled a slightly amorphous kidney bean. *sigh* I'm going to try again. I still have time to reserve a booth for the Fall Festival, and if I can get it going, it'll still work. Mom is talking about doing a caramel apple booth, since the festival is woefully short of food stuffs. We'll see about combining our efforts. Muahaha.

One thing I've been meaning to do... Say, for a moment, that you are a teenager. You want some face time with your Significant Other. Do you...

a.) go to either your or your SO's house and seclude yourself in a den or whatnot for privacy
b.) go to a local hangout (movie theatre, coffee shop, bowling alley) and use the car in a darkened parking lot for a little privacy
c.) go to the local church in BROAD DAYLIGHT and proceed to suck face under the porch in full view of God and anybody who might be passing by.

...if you answered C, you are the local neighborhood teens. Seriously. I. Kid. You. Not. We've found used condoms in the side stairway. The uncomfortable, dank, somewhat grimy side entrance to the basement. ...just... yeah. >.<

And now... for Good Eats and Sex in the Ancient World. mmmm

So... today was hokay. I lost a few more pounds, though I was told I should be losing more. I tend to agree, since I haven't been doing my YBB. Yarn was acquired for my Grandma's shawl, and it tickles me pink that the colorway is called "Burbon." The biggest YAY of the day was that the MetLife money has come in, and it's about $1K more than I was anticipating. I've decided how much I am dedicating to wiping out some of my credit card debt, and how much is going to be reserved for House Get. Which happens after Job Get.

Which brings us to the usual purpose of these posts. Or so it seems for the past few months. The NIH Editorial Assistant job I applied for is still in the "reviewing applications" stage. Thus, I am still hoping for a call and any good thoughts in that direction would be appreciated. However, I'm also a bit of a realist. So, I'm going to be hitting the Job Sites harder. ...especially since my parents have been saying they know I will have a job by October. ...I don't know where they're getting their information from, but ok. O.o The goal is at least 2 resumes out a day. That will give me at least 12 applications per week. ...what? You're not expecting me to do this on Sunday, are you? Child, you must be outside your head. XD This house be CRAZY on Sunday.

Other than that.. well. Things are going a little better. I've continued work on the sock, though it goes slowly. The family and I are interacting a little better... how, I don't know. But I'm just glad we are. I think having knitting in my hands when I'm downstairs with them helps. XD Although, I have two projects that I've decided to start. Project #1 is the Family Cookbook. I am really tired of emailing/calling my mother every time I want a recipe of hers that I should know. So, I'm raiding her recipe box/books and typing up all the recipes I want. Eventually, they'll be printed out and put in a 3 ring binder. Project #2 is... well, a little harder to explain as to why I want to do it.

In September, the church is having a Fall Festival. A bunch of local artists and artisans and cooks are getting together to hawk their wares... and the idea sort of came to me. I'm calling it The Giving Heart Project. I'm going to knit 100 of those little felted hearts. You remember? Scroll back a few entries if you don't. Anyway. 100 felted hearts, some filled with scented beanies if I can find them. I'll be selling them for $2 a piece, for use as rear-view mirror danglies, pens, or potpurri kind of things. All the money will be donated to a charity... that I have yet to pick. I plan on making one experiment heart to show my mom, since she would be able to tell me if they would actually sell or not. But yeah... like I said, I don't know why I want to do it... I just do.

And that's pretty much where I'm at for the moment. :D See you on the flips!

So I stumbled on this tonight.

I will be very, very disappointed if there are not zombies. For serious.

Also? The new season of Hell's Kitchen is balls out CRAZY. XD

...SyFy? Really?

Ok, so you want to be able to trademark your name brand and do merchandising and whatever. I get it. I can even understand it. But SyFy?!?!?! Your fan base is a group of individuals who likes Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and who are fairnly intense about what they do and do not like. You were the channel for them, one of the few bastions of geekery. You revelled in the SciFi original movies which... yeah, kinda got crap towards the end but didn't always suck for air! You brought us Ghost Hunters, Eureka, and Stargate. And now...

Now you've changed your name to something that sounds like the hybrid bastardization of hip hop and cutsey text speak.

...I weep in geeky rage.

...so right now it's a big con weekend. Otakon is going on... and I miss it. *sigh* But it got me thinking about next year, when hopefully I'll have a job and maybe a job down in Bmore or DC. ooo that would be nice.

ANYWAY. I've thought of three characters I might want to cosplay.

1. Duck from Princess Tutu
2. Honey from Ouran High School Host Club
or
3. Saber from Fate Stay Night


Opinions? :D

So today was good.

I have an interview tomorrow with B School District for a long term subbing job. I'm not all that stressed about it, since a.) if I don't get it, there's still daily subbing at the same district, and b.) it's only about $10 more than daily subbing. *shrugs* We will see. If it happens, cool, if not, it's ok. Because I'm still crossing my fingers for the NIH job Mom and I went Speed Shopping tonight to find me a new interview suit. Pro Tip? The Ross discount stores are AWESOME. Cute little pinstripe skirt and vest suit for $16. Very nice. I also may have gone down another dress size... but I'm not quite sure I've got the outfit for tomorrow pretty much planned in my head, so I just have to get hair, makeup and nails finished. Interview is in the afternoon, so everything should be ok.

Also, I am still squeeing over the fact that people seem to like "A House Mad From Grief". I'm so so happy with all the positive response and I'm thrilled people seem to like it. now if I can just get Turnabout Prince finished before it's one year anniversary

BCPS was very helpful when I called them. The guy in payroll I talked to said I'd have the necessary documents by the end of the week. He also said that if the people at MetLife give me any grief, to give him a call and he'll "rattle some cages". ...I find that mildly endearing.

Other than that... still kinda fighting a case of the blahs. When there's nothing specific you HAVE to do... it's really hard to get up the gumption to do much of anything. Going to work on that. I've started a sock, since the one scarf project I'm working on is very fiddly. >.> As in, it requires a LOT of attention to do. While knitting a sock is challenging, it isn't quite the same sort of fiddly. I also have to dig through the donated yarn to see if I find something I like for my Grandma. Dad has suggested my next prayer shawl be for her, and really, I can't blame him. The rest of the family can wait for their hats and whatnot. The one thing I'm kinda bumming about is the fact that I had all these great projects lined up for the Craft Meme... and it look like I won't get them finished in time mostly because of budget constraints. Things may get better once school starts or the MetLife money comes in. We'll see. Although money for this month isn't so tight anymore. Got a check from B School District for some homebound instruction I did. Yay for being able to make the bills!

Minor Update....

Yay: I've checked the status of my NIH Assistant Editorial position. I'm eligible and my resume has been referred. The PROCESS has begun... now if it will only move a liiiittle faster. *crosses fingers*

Yay: The MetLife paperwork to withdrawl my 403B monies has come

Boo: I need to contact them and BCPS to make sure everything is filled out correctly and sent to the right place so I can get the DAMNED money already.

Boo: Mom broke her finger in the garage door. ...yeah. She does things like that.

It's Here! It's Here! The Snupin Big Bang: Bigger, Longer, Uncut is HERE!! And yes, one of those stories is from me! A House Mad From Grief is one of the longest stories I've written to date. And it has the BEST cover art EVER!!!

There are some other fabulous stories there, so go check it out!!!

Ok. So it's update time again.

The only movement on the job front is an interview on July 15 for a long term subbing position at B School District. Other than that... a whooole lot of bubkiss.

The good news is that I've managed to get a hold of MetLife regarding my old BCPS retirement dohickey. They're sending me the paperwork to get a full surrender started, meaning that I am going to be getting about $3800. After consulting with my mom (who is rather awesome at money matters), I'm going to use $1000-1500 for August bills and starting to pay off some of my credit carts. $2000-2500 will be kept in reserve for either moving expenses in case I get a job and want to move out, or to further help pay off some of my credit card bills when I start subbing again and have to stay at home because... well, subbing won't be enough to get my own apartment.

Other good news is that we've fixed the interweb connection at the house so it doesn't flip on and off ever ten to fifteen minutes. Which is always good. I've also gotten a couch and an armchair from my mom's BFF's sister, who is moving out of state. It is a NICE couch and chair and I hope very soon to have an apartment to put them in.

Other than that... it's just more applications and more waiting. I have to keep reminding myself that the government jobs I've applied for take longer to go through the process. So... yeah. *SIGH*

...dear life. you can stop sucking anytime now. really. >.<

So yeah...

Apparently the only position that Macy's had open was a full time commissioned job. ...even though I applied for Part Time. The HR lady harped a lot on the fact that I may be going to a teaching gig at the start of the fall, and how she couldn't really put me in a Full Time position (which I totally understand... she just said it like nine times). She didn't have any part time positions available. The only thing she could offer me was "Contingent" or "Over Base Contingent". Which don't have guaranteed hours. She even said that the people who take those positions usually have at least one or two other jobs. I thought about it. I honestly did think about it while I sat in that god awful chair and realized that no... that wasn't something I was ok with. I even went so far as to say that I wanted to say yes, because yes would mean job and money and happiness. But realistically? Realistically there would be the very real chance that this would be my ONLY job until the school year started up again. And there would be the very real chance that I wouldn't be able to earn enough to pay my bills.

So I said I didn't think it would be a good fit. She agreed (and she understood too) and said she'd hold onto my application if any part time work showed up.


Called my temp agency when I got home a little bit ago. They're waiting to hear back from the people that were sent my resume. Nothing else yet.

Grabbed an application for Dairy Queen on the way home.

...fuck it. I'm going to wash the crap out of my hair and off of my face. I'm going to pick up the dishrag pattern on Ravelry, grab some ice cream, curl up on the couch and knit mindlessly while watching the two episodes of Harper's Island that I missed.

Fuck the world for the rest of the day. I'll pick myself up again tomorrow.

(Tried to post this last night... stupid maintenance)
To Begin...

Any show wherein Alton Brown and Paula Dean make something together... is GOLD. Comedy GOLD. XD

Secondly. I did the financials because the bills are coming due. Thanks to my mom paying me $40 to clean the house before she and Dad come back from their Week Away... I will have just enough to make the minimum payments for this month. ...>.> FUN. There are two lights, however, at the end of this tunnel. Light One is that I have an interview tomorrow at 2 for a Part Time position at Macy's. As the Mother Person is so fond of reminding me (over and over and over again) it is easier to find a job when you HAVE a job. So I'm going for it. I want it. I need it. Failure is NOT a friggen option. If the Temp Agency actually comes through for me... fine. We'll deal with that when it happens. It's retail, but if I get the rate and the hours that will let me pay my bills... I'll be happy. I'll keep looking, but I'll be happy. Or at least... less stressed. Light Two is my MetLife retirement... thingummy. Because I haven't been putting anything in to it... and because most of the money is in stocks... yeah. It's pretty much just been losing money in dribs and drabs. I've still got a fairly nice little nest egg. About $4,000 and a little change. So... here's what mom suggested and I'm thinking of doing. I'm thinking of taking it. Closing it out or doing a hardship loan... whatever. We'll have to see. If I can just close it out, I think that would be better than eventually having to pay it all back. There would be a tax hit at the end of the year... but that's $4,000 I can use to keep me afloat and start paying off my credit cards, which would lower the payments I have to make which.. well, will just be good all around. We'll see. I still have to do some research and talk to my agent guy.

So tomorrow... all the good thoughts and Job JuJu you can send my way would be great. At around 2PM EST if you could. ^_^ The rest... we'll deal with as it comes.

Edit

...well the day did not start auspiciously. ...you don't want to know. I may tell you later, but you probably just don't want to know. *shudders* I don't even like thinking about it. I'm gonna be leaving in a little bit to get some errands done before my interview. Wish me luck!

(Yes, the interview is today, Monday, at 2 EST. Good thoughts, people!)

Good News... I've lost 20 pounds. Which is nice.

Bad News... I'm starting to get the feeling that my Temp Agency is jerking me around. ...>.< Haven't heard anything yet, but I'm going to give them a call tomorrow. Again.

So, I think I'm pretty much trying to keep my updates to once a week, since there's just not a whole lot going on right now.

In Job Get news... Sister S has been going through the interview process for a managerial position at the retirement community she's been working at for almost 8 years now. It's an events coordinator type of position, full time, health benefits, the works. She got the news yesterday that she got the position. Mom has hated working in School District SUCK for the last few years. A job opening popped up at School District AWESOME for a Benefits Coordinator (no more driving 45 minutes both ways to get to work, no more dealing with asshats...). She went through the process and learned yesterday that the board unanimously voted to give her the position (which is INSANELY good). Sister M has been working her usual wait-staff job at the same retirement community as Sister S, as well as rocking out on an internship that is an insanely good opportunity for her (she's helping to plan the COG International Youth Convention in 2010 That's the website she worked her butt off to get designed, even if they're still working on getting a bunch of the information in). And as for me...

I've applied at several school districts, both here in PA and in MD & VA. I'm going to be looking for more today. I've also got my fingers crossed that the new temp agency I'm working with will call today and tell me what's going on with a job that would end right around the time school starts (we did that just in case I got a contract. If I don't, we can go from there). The only other nibble is the email I got from Macy's saying that they want to set up an interview with me for a part time/flexible hours position. ...*sighs* *goes back to Monster Slogging* Good thoughts guys... the Job Juju is floating around this house.

In Knitting News... ( Cut for Picspam )

And no, we aren't going to talk about the seven hours it took me to wind the hand dyed cotton into a ball. Nope. Not gonna. I'm going to work on my pretty alien scarf instead.

Other than that, not much going on. Just a bunch of waiting. So... any good thoughts you want to send me or the cat, send away!

NOTE TO SELF: always check the WEIGHT needed before buying yarn. >.<

So my Super Sekrit Project needs yarn still, even after a trip to the delightful yarn store I found. (Seriously, I love this place, even if they didn't have any Silk Garden at the moment). I did not find the Rowan 4-ply tweed I needed. After talking to the lady at the shop (who was very helpful) I picked up this:



...that, my friends, is Debbie Bliss Chunky Tweed in fuscia. Which would be fine except for the fact that the pattern? Calls for fingering weight yarn. Chunky is about three times to thick. I can be SUCH an idiot some times. I could, conceivably re-skein the yarn and return it tomorrow when I go for the right weight yarn... but that feels dishonest. So now I am stuck with 1 skein of yarn that's glaringly pink and rather coarse. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it... none. Something felted, but other than that I have no clue.

On the upside of my adventure today... I picked up this.



Now this... is a skein of hand dyed cotton. It is a glorious colorway, and it's slightly fuzzy. (chenille maybe?) It was 30% off. And it's just the kind of thing Sister M likes in colors. So... I'm thinking of turning this into her Christmas present. A very simple ribbed scarf, since the colors are verigated. *rubs hands together* It will be gorgeous.

Now, I know there are a couple of people out there in cyberland who are having a rough time of it. So, in an effort to spread a little laughter and a little smile... I present to you...



ROSY! The Demented Troll Doll! Yes, ladies and gents, THIS is what I get to wake up to practically every morning now. Feel free to find amusement in this, as my entire family is doing.

I am going to be doing something tomorrow I don't think I've done for several years. I am culling my clothes.

Because I need to find the smaller sizes that will actually -fit- me.

*happy sighs*

I have, for the first time in three years, a pair of jean capris that fit. And look like capris. ...let me reiterate that. I am 5ft tall, with stumpy short legs. This is like a Jesus Christ Came Down From Heaven And Made These Pants For Me miracle. And I have TWO PAIRS.

So the clothes culling will be tomorrow. Clothes that fit are going to be divided into Ready To Wear and Need Alterations (mostly hemming). Clothes that are really old or that I don't wear anymore are going to Good Will. I am also culling shoes for the same reason.

Tuesday there will be SEX. There is a good quality yarn store 20 minutes away. ...what? It's a Stash Enrichment Expedition. What were you thinking? :P

And NOW... a Meme! Stolen from Mith.

I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me, something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about, or something you've always been curious about but have never asked, or something completely silly that you'd like me to answer for kicks. No limits on the range of questions, either: ask me anything you want to know about, whether it's a fannish opinion or a question about a fic of mine or trivia about my real life or my thoughts on events in the offline world.

It's finished!!!



After minor surgery to repair structural damage caused by my own stupidity, the latest prayer shawl is finished. It's going to be the last one for a while.

Also, I've decided to share some of the pics and stories from our trip to the zoo! They are ( behind the cut. )

All in all... it's been a rather productive day or so. Last night was GREAT. Sister S started crying at the end, because we won. On Detroit's home ice. How'dya like them apples? XD

I may need to take a quick dash to the yarn store later today... for a Super Sekrit Project.

THE PENGUINS WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!!

Currently, I am sitting very still and very carefully in my chair. I did my ab work out this morning, which usually isn't too bad. Then I think I made the mistake of sitting on the bed to knit. The result was a Costochondritis flair. (Essentially, the cartilege in my rib cage is inflamed. Got that lovely diagnosis in college when I couldn't sit up straight or breathe properly without pain.) It's on the right side, towards the back. I've taken the Advil, just waiting for it to kick in properly. There's not a whole heck of a lot I can do about it.

( Family stuff, cut for your sanity )

Some movement on the job market. I applied for an Editorial Assistant at the Health & Human Services National Institute of Health. I'm really, really hoping I hear back from them. It would be a sweet job, and I'd get to move back to Baltimore/DC area. I'm going to be looking at Universities today, both in the PA and MD areas. Hopefully, something will pop up. Cross your fingers for me.

I've decided to try and get my prayer shawl done by Sunday. It's entirely doable, since I've decided that 60 In is quite long enough for a shawl, thanks, and I'm maybe five inches or so from the end. Then it's just the fringe and giving it to Vi for the blessing on Sunday. After that, I'm going to work on getting my alien scarf finished, since it's part of the craft meme from... what, December? Oi. I've got two more planned after that, then I have to recheck my list. I'm also planning on learning how to knit socks soon. Sonya got me a fabulous sock knitting book that I've been itching to try.

Writing... is going slowly. Seriously, slowly. I think I've just kind of had a burn out. Plus, I need to rewrite the chapters I wrote. I don't like Hazel's narrative voice in them. She's lost some of her vivaciousness.

And now... to hunt the elusive jobs.

I promise, there will be a longer, actual update tomorrow. But for now... books.

046: Redwall by Brian Jacques
047: Mattimeo by Brain Jacques
048: Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques
049: Acorna by Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball
050: Acorna's Quest by Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball
051: Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
052: Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey

( Reviews! )

( ... )

So the school year is officially over. No more subbing. The last paycheck is enough to pay the bills for June. Then... well it gives me a small cushion. I need to find a job. I'm hitting up the temp agency today and tomorrow. I've also made the decision that I really love my family... I just love them a lot better when there's distance. I'm working on coming back to the Baltimore/DC area. I am going to find a way to make it work. Government job, teaching gig, at this point, I don't care. I just need to get out of this house. I'm falling into old, self-destructive patterns. And I'm really tired of feeling like an outsider. Like I don't fit. I'm going to the place where I do fit. I'm even considering trying to get a job in a publishing house. I liked what I saw of New York when I visited Sonya. Maybe it'll be workable. I'm just really tired of being here. We'll see what happens. I'm also going to finish my manuscript before I turn 26. It's ready, it just needs to be typed out. My personal deadline is September 22 of this year.I have a few knitting projects to finish up as well. They're all ways to keep me from going completely insane while I wait for the job.

TO DO LIST

- Apply to the following districts: Harford Co (MD), Fairfax Co (VA)
- Research Private schools in MD
- Check out Government postings
- Interim applications: Carroll Harris, Local Temp whose name I keep forgetting, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Petsmart
- Research other counties in MD
- Research publishing houses


EDIT ...of course, after I post this, we go on a rather enjoyable excursion to the PBurgh Zoo. >.