Job opportunities and Resolutions

I had another interview today, it went well. The thing that concerns me is that it is commission only in a brand new territory, and no benefits. Taking this job would be a huge leap of faith. I have two weeks to think it over and I do have a lot to think about. It is not very secure but could be a good opportunity.

In other job news: I sent my resume out to another company that I really hope calls me. Positive vibes into the universe for this one.....

I created another list (surprise surprise). It is the end of the year and time for resolutions. I've been in Austin for about 5 years now but there are plenty of sites that I have yet to see.

Stuff I want to do, places I want to go in 2010:

Throw my first dinner party.
Try new recipes for blog.
Crochet a blanket - I always quit too soon and just make a big scarf.
Umlauf garden
Eeyores b-day party
Spamarama - It is not vegan but I still feel like I need to see this in person.
Kerrville
Cool house tour
Gardens on tour
Black and White Years
Lemurs
Maker Faire
Enchanted rock - We drove out to it but never got out of the car.
Austin Playhouse/The City Theatre
Go to a veggie potluck/join a group/take a class.
Canyon Lake
Toobing - We tried to go this year but there just wasn't enough water in the river to make it worth it.
Drink more water

A very vegan CA Christmas vacation

When I arrived, my mom had made me a vegan meal: marinara over whole-wheat spaghetti with garlic bread. I washed it down with home brew brown ale that my dad made. It was a very simple meal but super fresh and delicious.

At Christmas, I had Tofurkey peppered slices with mashed potatoes, a baked yam, stuffing that my mom made special in the crock-pot and gravy. I had picked up Dandies vegan marshmallows from Wheatsville before I left. I was going to make candied yams, but I ran out of time and just tossed them on top of the baked yams. Later, I made hot cocoa and added the marshmallows; I ate the rest right out of the bag. For dessert, I had vegan cookies by Eat Pastry. My SIL found pre-made vegan cookie dough in a jar at the Laguna Hills Mother's and cooked a bunch for me. They were so soft and chewy. I thought they could be a little sweeter but I loved them. I will have to check our local Whole Foods to see if they have the other flavors.

The next day we went to The Stand in Laguna Beach. I met an old friend from high school there that I reconnected with through Facebook. Afterwards we went to Whole Foods because I read that they had Go Max Go candy bars. I tried all four since they are not available in Texas yet (I called the company in Oregon and they told me that they will soon be selling them at the Whole Foods in Austin). Jokerz is my favorite, it was similar to a Snickers although the nougat is more sugary and less whipped. I wanted to get more but this unemployed girl has to have some control. Later that day we went to Del Taco (we ate there the next night as well) and got one red burrito, one green burrito with no cheese and french fries.

The next day for lunch we went to a pure vegan restaurant, Native Foods. I should have tried something new but I got what I always get. I got the Chicken Run Ranch burger special with a choice of a free side (I opted for the french fries, of course). I was very well fed on this trip, if Austin wasn't such a vegan friendly city it would be hard to come back but I have a lot of choices here as well.

What do I know?

I had an interview today, it was crappy and humiliating. On to the next one......
This is my cute cat, he is neither crappy nor humiliating.

Crazy busy week

For someone who does not have a job, I have had a very busy week. I did a lot of checking off my list this week:

• Two five hour volunteer days.
• I had two job interviews (fingers crossed something comes of them).
• I finished the last of my Christmas shopping.
• I have been planning a Christmas party in my community. It is this Sunday.
• Two of my cats are having some health issues, lots of back and forth to the vet.
• Got a badly needed oil change, luckily the brakes that I thought needed to be replaced are fine, it was probably just gravel I heard.
• Two different Dr. appointments that are in Round Rock (I live close to Dripping Springs) so it has been a lot of driving.
  

This week has been emotionally draining. Today I am just going to hang out at home, maybe watch a movie and start cleaning my house. We are going to be leaving soon for California, and I do not like to come home from vacation and seeing a messy house. I would like that to be in order before we go. Maybe I need to start a new list.....

I love a good list!

Whether it's of my daily activities that I need to accomplish through out the day or it's just compiling the things I want, I like or hate. It all seems so orderly and I love it.

My first of many lists that I will post:

Hipster words that irk me:

#5 Goodtimes - It's not really that bad because it works in certain contexts but because it reminds me of certain douche-y djs on a certain alternative radio station that it falls on my list.

#4 Hella - I don't hear it that often anymore but when I did, it always seemed like they were trying to hard to sound hip, it never seemed natural.

#3 Sweet! - I think it's the way people say it that bothers me, their voices get all high and squeaky.

#2 Yum - I will punch you for saying this word. I can't explain it, I just hate it.

#1 Woot - Why did this become a word that caught on, even my husband who doesn't have an ounce of hipster or douche in him occasionally says/types this word.

End of year reflection

In January 2010, I will have been unemployed for 1 year. Crazy. I have had many “almost opportunities” but nothing that panned out. There is so much competition and so many people out of work. It is not enough to just look and apply to a Craigslist or Indeed ad. Networking is what everyone says you need to do; it is who you know and they need to know of an opportunity. Still that may not be enough; I believe timing and luck have a lot to do with it as well. Looking for a job is almost a full time job in itself. Here is some of the stuff I have been doing:

•I volunteer for a non-profit two days a week to network, gain experience and have something on my resume so there isn’t a huge gap of time missing.
•Everyone I meet knows I am unemployed and has my resume.
•Linkedin – I joined the “out of work” and “networking” groups. There are lots of useful articles and smart people that are willing to help you out by giving you leads, revising your resume and cover letters.
•I just recently signed up at a temporary agency.
•My neighborhood has an on-line message board that I have posted my resume to as well. I’m putting it all out there now I’m waiting.

Although I spend a lot of my time devoted to looking for job opportunities I am enjoying my time off because I'm pretty sure, God willing, I won't ever be unemployed like this again. It has been a good year besides job hunting. I took the time to do things I would not have had the time to do:

My husband and I bought platinum badges for SXSW 2009. We had such a blast seeing bands I never heard of that I now love (Gil Mantera & the party dream, Wax Fang). Bands I have wanted to see (Silversun Pickups, Wintersleep, Octopus Project, Tricky, Devo) and a few bands I have seen a lot (Peter Murphy, Echo & the Bunnyman). Of course there were some that well......good for them for getting to play at SXSW but I hope they have other talents and other aspirations. We also did the film portion as well, if you ever get the chance I highly recommend it.

Other things I did this year is I took the opportunity to visit my family on a non holiday basis, I bought a bike to make use of the many many hike and bike trails that Austin and the Hill Country have to offer. I also spent lots of time at the pool this summer and Town Lake. It has been a great fun filled year but I am certainly looking forward to gainful employment and what the New Year has in store for me.

Not a bad way to spend the day

I live near a tiny town called Dripping Springs. Dripping Springs is not the Mecca of entertainment or culture. It is not exactly quaint either (it's no Stars Hollow) especially since it's being tromped on by Home Depot, Walgreens and a new HEB Plus is coming soon. However, it does have some mom n pop charm and appeal. Not too long ago a couple of my friends and I went on a garage sale hunt and checked out a couple of DS coffee shops:

Thyme and Dough I have been here before; in fact I come here weekly for a MeetUp that I joined (my efforts to be more social and meet new people). I like it, it is a cute little house, a tiny bit run down but it adds to the charm. My favorite part is the outdoor garden. A turn-off is that they keep the fresh bread out in baskets for people to grab their own and sometimes you see flies buzzing around. It just seems a little unsanitary and I would prefer if they keep it in a glass case or something. Also, I once bought my husband a couple chocolate croissants and he thought they were a bit oily tasting. With all that said, I go back because of the company and the coffee. On this occasion, I got a coffee with soymilk and a vegan sandwich. It is very thrilling to me that the owner knew what vegan was and recommended what bread to get. It is not mentioned on the menu but you can make the “Farm to Market” sandwich vegan by omitting the mayonnaise and goat cheese. That was the only thing that she mentioned that was vegan but for vegetarians there are a lot of options. They use many fresh and local ingredients and I am happy to patronize them, I like what they are doing and they are always extremely friendly. My friends got the iced tea, they loved it because it has frozen fruit in it that flavors it and makes it fun to drink.

Next, we stopped into Hemisphere, it is part cafe-part antique vintage shop. It is huge, the building used to be a hardware store. I did not have anything to eat or drink because I just had three cups of coffee at Thyme and Dough and the sandwich but my friends did and their comments were: the cappuccino is good and the toffee dessert is amazing, they will be going back to pick up more. I talked to another friend about Hemisphere on a separate occasion and she thinks the coffee at Thyme & Dough is better. While I did not get anything from the cafe, I did browse the store. I loved the different finds; my only wish is for more vintage clothes. I am always on the look out for vintage jackets, shawls, hats and costume jewelry. The inventory is ever changing so I need to go back, see what else they have gotten in, and try the coffee out for myself.

I know....this is my first post

I see the irony here, I'm blogging while I could be out "pop n locking" somewhere. But it's warm inside my cozy office and cold and foggy outside in Austin, TX.

For me it's finding the balance of being social, meeting new people, experiencing all the cool things in Austin and having "me time" (I swear I never say that line out loud). I'm not naturally a social butterfly but I do crave a little bit of that lifestyle, even if it's in small portions: going out for coffee every Friday morning with a new MeetUp that I joined, checking out a new local band, eating at a new vegan restaurant and going on group hikes through the Hill Country.

This will be a blog on what I think, what I know and don't know of what is going on in my world while it collides with the rest of the world. So, let's see how it goes!