FLASH BACK summer 1983

"well, i'm a'gonna raise a fuss an' i'm a'gonna raise a holler...i've been working all summer just to try and earn a dollar..."
i walk into the king's island inn housekeeping department...just like several of my friends. it was my first job interview. they didn't ask me any questions. they handed me some paperwork to fill out...they handed me a uniform...they had a name tag made. hired! i spent most of the summer cleaning up after tourists and golfers. blah!
FLASH FORWARD today
so we just moved back and i decide that i need a job. why? because who couldn't use a little pocket change for the holidays? because we have 6 kids to get christmas presents for and, if you do the math, it ain't cheap. and because i get bored being a domestic diva. i don't really need a full time, career, kind of job...something seasonal will be great so i hit the web...craig's list...snag~a~job...department store websites. all the applications are the same...fill out this personal information, then answer this 12 page questionnaire.

example questions: 
SD~strongly disagree D~disagree N~neutral A~agree SA~strongly agree

i am the most awesome person ever:  SD D N A SA                                                           
coworkers will say i am the most awesome person ever:  SD D N A SA                              
coworkers will not say i am the most awesome person ever:  SD D N A SA              
admit it. you think i am the most awesome person ever:  SD D N A SA                      

how do i even begin to answer these questions? OF COURSE i am the most awesome person ever!! but if i say that, do i sound conceited? if i disagree, does it sound like i lack confidence. and if i say neutral, they know i'm lying. my solution? stay neutral on questions that i feel need a little clarification (i follow bosses orders, even if i disagree with his orders? that depends...is he asking me to work an hour over or assassinate the ceo? cuuuzzz...that.  could.  greatly impact my decision...NEUTRAL!!). be honest on questions you KNOW the answer to (coworkers would say i am outgoing? SA...coworkers would say i keep to myself? SD).

a few words of advice when searching for jobs on the web:

#1~if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. you really need to be careful on craig's list. i would not send a resume to a poster that doesn't give any company information. sure...there are self-employed people looking for assistants but there are also psychos out there looking for personal information or, worse even, torture victims!! ack! send those posters an email to feel them out. you can always provide a resume and personal contact information after you've verified they're legit.

#2~if you find a position on snag~a~job, consider going to the companies website to fill out the application as well...better to be sure they get the proper information. also, take the time to fill out the websites resume information. that way it will always be on file for the next job hunt.

#3~be flexible. you will get passed over if you limit your availability. make yourself available during all business hours to start. you can always talk to your supervisor about better hours, later, as more people get hired or college kids start returning to school.

happy job hunting!!

^i told you...awesome!!^

                  

 

^example of sketchy craig's list ad...might be legit but why the need for a headshot...and $60k for a personal asst? hmmmm^

FLASHBACK 1981~1982

"done looking for the critics 'cause they're everywhere...they don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair..."

she's walking thru the halls like a miniature terminator...angry...determined...looking for a fight. "get outta my way you fat cow!! i would kill myself if my a$$ was that big!" "learn from your parent's mistake...use birth control". most of the people could take care of themselves. but the special ed kids...they didn't have witty comebacks...and they couldn't fight. so, one day, i'm walking behind her and watch her push a girl into the lockers. i snap. i push her and tell her to leave the girl alone. well...that's BASICALLY what i said...i don't remember word for word and i'm sure it was a little more colorful...okay! okay!...A LOT more colorful, but that is basically what i said. OOPS! i spend the next school year being terrorized by ummmmm....let's call her *regina*. she's pushing me into lockers. she's calling me names. she's jumping me in the restroom. i fight back...i fight back every time...she backs off. for a little while. then she realizes something. i can't fight back in my cheerleading uniform. so she's lurking in the halls after games waiting for the moment i can't get her back....

FLASH FORWARD february 2012
"sheldon: you did it, leonard! you stood up to your bully! leonard:  Yeah, I feel pretty good about myself. You think we can outrun him? sheldon: i don't need to outrun him. i just need to outrun you!" 
the bk and i are watching "big bang theory"...it just happens to be an episode about bullying...my phone buzzes on the table between us. facebook message: *regina* has requested you as a friend. what?!! are you flippin kidding me?!! i don't deny requests, usually. seriously? does it hurt you, at all, being facebook friends with people you never even knew went to your high school? no. it doesn't. but *regina*? i had vowed that would be a request i would deny. but, when i got it, i thought: is it fair to assume she hadn't changed? so i debated. and debated. and debated. i asked betsy if she had talked to her as an adult. b "i have...she hasn't changed a bit". m "am i being childish if i deny her?". b "you don't need that in your life". IGNORE! 
FLASH FORWARD today
"i wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school... i wish i could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy"
bullying has changed a lot since 1981. back then we had "your mama" jokes and "fat" jokes and fists. today, even though they have all those things, they also have the internet. they have facebook...and twitter...and youtube. today's bully can humiliate you on a global scale. but communities are rallying around the bullied...most recently, a teen nominated for homecoming court, as a prank, was escorted to the game in a hummer limo. her dress, hair styling, and make-up all donated by local businesses. she was even cheered on by the opposing team. click here to view her story.
october is bullying prevention month...and october 3rd is national mean girls day (sadly, i'm a day late)...
tips to prevent bullying:
#1~respond calmly, without losing your temper. giving in to your temper just gives the bully what they want.
#2~don't let them see you sweat. confidence is key. it sounds corny, but it really is true. if the bully doesn't think they are getting to you, they will move on. 
#3~stand by each other. if you witness bullying, and do nothing, then you are part of the problem.
#4~remember that bullying doesn't just happen in school or to students. it can happen in the workplace. it can happen on facebook. it can happen to you.
#5~try to remember this really isn't about you. it sounds cliche, but the bully really is the one with the problem.

           

 

1. heathers~the original mean girls
2. mean girls~how did they get a national day and heathers didn't?

 

FLASHBACK 2009

"forget about forgetting...start remembering again..."
jeanne and i walk 3 days a week. monday. wednesday. friday. rain or shine. we start at my place one day. hers the next. we log at least 8 miles. lebanon is hilly, so we are really getting a work out. we come home winded and sweaty. this day is no different except for one thing....when we get to my apartment and run up the stairs, thirsty AND needing the bathroom...we can't get in. i've locked my keys inside. ugh. fortunately, jamie has a spare key in his truck (because this is not the first time...of course). at king's island. so jeanne drives me to his truck...it has keyless entry...i grab the key and we're in. phew.
FLASH FORWARD spring 2012
i walk 5 days a week. i put in my earbuds and crank up the music and walk. i only go 2 miles each day (it's boring without your partner...boo). this day is no different except for one thing...when i get back to the house i can't get in. i've locked my key inside. ugh. jamie's truck is at the shop...5 miles away. remember how i said i don't have a partner? there is no one to drive me to the shop and i am exhausted (i am only walking 2 miles but i'm doing it for time...i am practically running). i check all the windows within reach...locked. maybe i left the back door unlocked? nope. i'm nothing if not conscious of keeping out potential robbers...or zombies...or velociraptors (remember how they can open doors? i learned THAT from jurassic park). there is one hope. the back window. it's unlocked but it's 8~10 feet off the ground. but i'm clever. i pull the motorcycle trailer out from under the deck. i roll down the bar to make it level, but our yard is on a hill so it's still not level enough, so i prop it with the lawn mower. a small step ladder on top and i'm set. sort of...i get the window open, but i'm short. so in come the gymnastic skills i learned as a kid. i mary lou retton myself onto the window frame and throw myself, head first, into the dining room. TAH DAH!!!!!
FLASH FORWARD october 2012
our new apartment is very safe. deadbolt and chain for our door. and the entry to the building automatically locks. i take maddie out 45000 times a day, starting at 7:30a. today is no different except...when i get to the "potty station" i realize something very important. I FORGOT MY KEYS!!!!! i text jamie "i locked myself out!" j: are you serious? m: yep :'( j: i have keys here m: you're at work. j: is the apartment locked? or just the building? m: just the building. CRAP!!!! i head back to the building, debating about which neighbor might be home. or awake...i would hate to wake a sleeping neighbor that i don't even know. a man is getting in his car. thank gawd!! he unlocks the building and now i am safely in my apartment. i will never ever EVER forget my keys again.
everybody knows...EVERYBODY KNOWS...i will forget my keys. again.