So, as promised, this will be a mishmash of 'junk' because life has been a little weird lately. I've been working a lot of awkward hours, including 5 a.m. starts and 9 p.m. ends, which has left me perpetually exhausted, confused and convinced I'm either late or supposed to be somewhere else. It's enough to make anyone a little crazy, and with a few other things keeping me busy, life lately has been a bit of a whirl -- but luckily it's not all bad. So, to keep you entertained and informed, here are some point form updates:
- I finally caved and bought glasses. And they're pink! Well, not entirely pink, they're brown with pink accents, but still -- PINK! The situation was getting too bad, I've been getting headaches from straining to see with my contacts (I purchased a batch a year and a half ago and I was trying to use them all up, unfortunately, my prescription has changed) and from wearing them way too long because all the tape in the world couldn't keep my old ones straight on my face. And, I think I've finally come to accept that a CBC job isn't forthcoming. I'd love it to be, but my life must go on. And any new job I take will have a three month probation period before proper health insurance, and I'm not waiting until April to see properly. So, I walked into the mall, the optometrist happened to have an opening, my lenses were in stock and I walked out with glasses an hour and a half later. I even got a deal, and James' insurance will help me out a bit with them.
- James bought rock band. I've been cultivating my rock star persona in my time off, to the point that guitarist Jen is way better dressed and much cooler than real Jen.
- We went to look at wedding invitations this weekend. There are a lot of options. And most of them are either a) flowery b) expensive c) unnecessarily complicated or d) all of the above. But, after a few fun hours, we narrowed it down to two very simple options that sort of call to our journalism nerd backgrounds and desire for cheap simplicity. I have until Saturday to decide.
- I've decided possums are cute. Case in point
- I worked the health section today, which is always fun. A highlight is pollution and heart health
- And, as for the promised space junk story, I encountered it while doing the Newsworld news ticker at 5 a.m. yesterday morning and decided it was arguably the coolest thing I read all morning. Though, admittedly, by that point I had not read very much. Either way, a U.S. spy satellite has lost power and will crash to Earth sometime in late February/early March. Government officials have no control over it, no idea where it will land and say it might contain hazardous materials. Crazy. What do you think the odds are that it will hit Canada?
Anyway, with my current crazy person schedule, it feels like bedtime. Let's hope my sleep cycles and meal times sort themselves back into normalcy soon.
28 January 2008
23 January 2008
I had a job interview!
Today, I had an interview for a real, full-time job that would give me health benefits, vacation and sick days. So please, dear readers, keep your fingers crossed for me.
I have now successfully broken both arms off my glasses, and a plan with proper optical coverage would be pretty darn awesome.
On the flip side, I have of course been thinking and worrying about what would happen if I got the job. It would mean giving up on the chance to work for the CBC during an election. And, I applied for a fabulous internship, where I would get paid (minimally) for a year at Macleans as an entry-level writer. Of course, it's very competitive, and it would be hard to give up on a real job for the possibility of an internship that I won't hear back about until April 1. But, if secured, it would be amazing.
Anyway, all these concerns are putting the cart before the horse, so to speak, as I only spoke with the interviewers a few hours ago. They were all very nice, and I think the interview went well. But, I should probably stop wrecking my worry less resolution and just cool my heels, and my concerns, until such problems actually approach reality.
I have now successfully broken both arms off my glasses, and a plan with proper optical coverage would be pretty darn awesome.
On the flip side, I have of course been thinking and worrying about what would happen if I got the job. It would mean giving up on the chance to work for the CBC during an election. And, I applied for a fabulous internship, where I would get paid (minimally) for a year at Macleans as an entry-level writer. Of course, it's very competitive, and it would be hard to give up on a real job for the possibility of an internship that I won't hear back about until April 1. But, if secured, it would be amazing.
Anyway, all these concerns are putting the cart before the horse, so to speak, as I only spoke with the interviewers a few hours ago. They were all very nice, and I think the interview went well. But, I should probably stop wrecking my worry less resolution and just cool my heels, and my concerns, until such problems actually approach reality.
16 January 2008
Three weeks into the New Year...
And I've made progress on one of my three resolutions. I am aiming for eight hours of sleep a night, and am often getting them! My least slept night (barring the frequent panicked wake-ups the night of my 5 a.m. shift) was a mere seven hours, a vast improvement from my regular six-ish of before Christmas. And, I'm going to bed in plenty of time to get my eight hours, so I'm actually moderately rested most days!
I feel this is a vast improvement over my resolutions of last year, which are long forgotten (but may have simply been surviving the last two terms of school and getting a job, which I did).
I've also ramped up my hunt for a real, reliable job with vacation and the like. I've "cold emailed" several publications, along with several people I know in the industry, while still prowling the job boards daily -- all while keeping my fingers crossed of course.
I've also been tempted by two internship possibilities. One is far-fetched and already ruled out, it's in Kitchener and it requires a car, which basically puts it out of the running, but I love the idea of it -- reporting for a daily for a few months would look great on my resume. The other obstacle is that it runs through August, which, as many of you may know, happens to require a bit of time off for an important milestone -- my wedding -- and interns don't get the choice vacation days (if any). If it was in Toronto, and didn't require a car, I'd maybe look into extending it into September to fulfill the time while still getting the time off, but the other factors all contribute to strike it out. Plus, I'm still having trouble getting around in Ontario. They'd send me for coffee and I'd end up in Hamilton calling James and asking him to map out a way back for me on his blackberry. Not good.
The second is slightly more realistic, but I'm still uncertain enough that I haven't applied. Toronto Life, a very well respected magazine for you non-Torontonians, has a four-month internship program, which appears to be fairly flexible with start and end dates (i.e. I could start in March, or June or whenever -- if I got accepted). It would be planning, researching, writing, and an introduction into the world of magazine publishing -- something I am not particularly familiar with, but do find quite interesting. The downside to said internship, were I able to get it, is that the whole thing pays a stipend of $2,000. Yes, that's $500 a month, which would cover rent but not much else -- certainly not bills or student loans.
Odds are I'd be able to make more working at the CBC, if I'm willing to risk it and continue with this crazy, unpredictable schedule and the lurch in my stomach each morning when I wake up in the morning expecting a phone call to tear me out of my slumber into the cold, cruel world to cover for a writer sick in Manitoba or PEI or who knows where. Even when I'm not working for them, I'm perpetually preparing myself to be available "just in case", and that's a rather rough way to get by. But, currently at least, it pays the bills and is in the field I want -- online news and features.
The other issue in all these decisions is the election factor. If I depart from political news and an election is called (which I certainly believe to be a possibility, maybe a 50 per cent chance) I'll feel like I'm missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
So, I'm currently still hunting down that elusive job with vacation -- that's a decision that would be quite simple! -- but am definitely looking at other options.
And, of course, this week James has been away in San Francisco, so I've been left alone with my thoughts and a very cranky bunny. These factors (more the aloneless than the rabbit though) lead me to my third resolution -- worrying less. That's posing a bit more of a challenge. I'm a worrier. But, isn't admitting it the first step to recovery?
When I do find myself worrying I try to distract myself too (the oven in our apartment is the cleanest it's ever been. Admittedly, it needed a good scrub, but now it really sparkles!) and I figure with only three weeks into the new year, an occasional relapse is inevitable anyway. But hey, at least I'm trying!
I feel this is a vast improvement over my resolutions of last year, which are long forgotten (but may have simply been surviving the last two terms of school and getting a job, which I did).
I've also ramped up my hunt for a real, reliable job with vacation and the like. I've "cold emailed" several publications, along with several people I know in the industry, while still prowling the job boards daily -- all while keeping my fingers crossed of course.
I've also been tempted by two internship possibilities. One is far-fetched and already ruled out, it's in Kitchener and it requires a car, which basically puts it out of the running, but I love the idea of it -- reporting for a daily for a few months would look great on my resume. The other obstacle is that it runs through August, which, as many of you may know, happens to require a bit of time off for an important milestone -- my wedding -- and interns don't get the choice vacation days (if any). If it was in Toronto, and didn't require a car, I'd maybe look into extending it into September to fulfill the time while still getting the time off, but the other factors all contribute to strike it out. Plus, I'm still having trouble getting around in Ontario. They'd send me for coffee and I'd end up in Hamilton calling James and asking him to map out a way back for me on his blackberry. Not good.
The second is slightly more realistic, but I'm still uncertain enough that I haven't applied. Toronto Life, a very well respected magazine for you non-Torontonians, has a four-month internship program, which appears to be fairly flexible with start and end dates (i.e. I could start in March, or June or whenever -- if I got accepted). It would be planning, researching, writing, and an introduction into the world of magazine publishing -- something I am not particularly familiar with, but do find quite interesting. The downside to said internship, were I able to get it, is that the whole thing pays a stipend of $2,000. Yes, that's $500 a month, which would cover rent but not much else -- certainly not bills or student loans.
Odds are I'd be able to make more working at the CBC, if I'm willing to risk it and continue with this crazy, unpredictable schedule and the lurch in my stomach each morning when I wake up in the morning expecting a phone call to tear me out of my slumber into the cold, cruel world to cover for a writer sick in Manitoba or PEI or who knows where. Even when I'm not working for them, I'm perpetually preparing myself to be available "just in case", and that's a rather rough way to get by. But, currently at least, it pays the bills and is in the field I want -- online news and features.
The other issue in all these decisions is the election factor. If I depart from political news and an election is called (which I certainly believe to be a possibility, maybe a 50 per cent chance) I'll feel like I'm missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
So, I'm currently still hunting down that elusive job with vacation -- that's a decision that would be quite simple! -- but am definitely looking at other options.
And, of course, this week James has been away in San Francisco, so I've been left alone with my thoughts and a very cranky bunny. These factors (more the aloneless than the rabbit though) lead me to my third resolution -- worrying less. That's posing a bit more of a challenge. I'm a worrier. But, isn't admitting it the first step to recovery?
When I do find myself worrying I try to distract myself too (the oven in our apartment is the cleanest it's ever been. Admittedly, it needed a good scrub, but now it really sparkles!) and I figure with only three weeks into the new year, an occasional relapse is inevitable anyway. But hey, at least I'm trying!
11 January 2008
Lesson of the day
It was a very busy week on the news desk, with conflicts around the world, breaking political developments, accidents and the rising popularity of a newborn polar bear at Germany's Nuremberg Zoo who has been named Flocke -- the German word for snowflake (see the bear's website here in German.)
The job hunt continues, and I'm starting to feel a little more confidant and a little less disillusioned.
And, I re-learned an important lesson: Do not wear dangly earrings when conducting phone interviews. Your ear will get increasingly hot, then sore and achy, and remain so for at least another hour.
Now, I think I may dig into my chocolate shoe :)
The job hunt continues, and I'm starting to feel a little more confidant and a little less disillusioned.
And, I re-learned an important lesson: Do not wear dangly earrings when conducting phone interviews. Your ear will get increasingly hot, then sore and achy, and remain so for at least another hour.
Now, I think I may dig into my chocolate shoe :)
07 January 2008
Back in the t-dot
My vacation flew by. My time at home seemed hardly long enough (despite amply time to stuff my face with mussels, pudding and other home delicacies) and I could barely believe it when I was once again en route to the airport. Moral of the story? Five days is not enough.
And, before I knew it, we were seven days into the new year, I was well back into work (though having trouble getting back in the swing of things) and I had made no progress on my new year's resolutions, which by the way, are as follows:
- Find a job
- Sleep more
- Worry less
Simple sounding enough, yes, but still highly difficult to achieve. They are also all linked. It's easier to worry less when you have a job. If you worry less, you sleep more. A lack of sleep will not help me find a job.
Good logic, difficult execution.
Anyway, just wanted to check in to assure everyone that I am in fact alive and well in 2008. As part of my "sleep more" effort, I'm trying to eat supper before seven whenever possible. I'll keep you posted on my progress through the new year's resolutions (fingers crossed that I make some!) and best of luck with yours!
And, before I knew it, we were seven days into the new year, I was well back into work (though having trouble getting back in the swing of things) and I had made no progress on my new year's resolutions, which by the way, are as follows:
- Find a job
- Sleep more
- Worry less
Simple sounding enough, yes, but still highly difficult to achieve. They are also all linked. It's easier to worry less when you have a job. If you worry less, you sleep more. A lack of sleep will not help me find a job.
Good logic, difficult execution.
Anyway, just wanted to check in to assure everyone that I am in fact alive and well in 2008. As part of my "sleep more" effort, I'm trying to eat supper before seven whenever possible. I'll keep you posted on my progress through the new year's resolutions (fingers crossed that I make some!) and best of luck with yours!
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