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A new journal for a new beginning |
| I'm strangely hopeful. I guess that's nice for a change. |
| Sorry to be trite, but I'm short on time and getting blog reminders: *Deferment for grad school is approved *I've decided to stay in the bakery since they offered to move me to mornings. That will make it much easier to get a raise and to get a PT evening job. *I'm applying to various PT jobs, no word yet. *My allergies are killing me. *I'm going to see my little sister this weekend for the first time since Christmas. That's it for now. |
| It's taken over everyone I know. I've decided to move departments because I'm so tired of being the only one in the bakery who cares about doing the job right. Of course I've taken a position as a cashier on the front line which will have it's own challenges, namely asshole/crazy customers who need a punching bag. I just need to remember not to take it personally. This department has more money to give for raises and I've been told if I do well I'll get one in three months. Some of the people in the bakery have been working for a year with no raise. I find that unacceptable. I find that I'm getting a lot of mixed messages about the front line. Half the people tell me it's great, the other have say it's a nightmare and can't believe I'm leaving the my "plush" job in the bakery. What can I say, the goal for this year is to save money, no more no less. That will be very hard in the bakery. I just hope I won't regret it. Maybe I can request to only work with the positive people. |
| Yeah okay, so what the Hell is wrong with me. I knew I didn't care about the drafting class anymore. I have my acceptance to graduate school. Why do I feel so bad about playing hooky? I went last week to practice some and my professor was all over me with options to get me out of the class with a "D". I hardly feel like busting butt for a "D". Anything below a "C" looks the same to graduate schools. Maybe what bothers me is that I made the concious decision to fail. I had hoped to be able to still attend and learn whatever I could but the professor does not seem willing to give me any attention unless I'm "in the game". I know my failing makes him look bad but I'm the one who wasted my time and money on this. It has been educational in terms of learning what my limits are as a part time student with a full time job (with lots of overtime) and I have learned enough drafting techniques to help me to an "A" if I take it a again. As of now I still don't know if deferment for graduate school is even an option. I need a little more time to settle back into the student mindset and one more trip to the beach with my friends. I want to go full time and knock out my masters in less than two years by taking summer classes. I just don't feel like I have the energy to do that yet. I also want to take a couple more classes (one at a time from now on) at PVCC. I just have to remember that failing one class is not the end of the world. |
| I just got my notification of acceptance from my first choice graduate school. The official offer will be coming in the mail in a few weeks so that I can counter-accept. I'm not sure what's going to happen specifically yet (deferment until next Aug., a compute from C'ville or breaking a lease to start this Aug.). It will all depend on money. One thing I do know is that I do NOT want to work a service/grunt job while in grad school. I did it in undergrad. and it damn near killed me. I refuse to subject myself to that sort of misery again. I don't even know if deferment is an option. If funding doesn't allow a comfortable transition then I'll just have to pray that it is. |
| Maybe it's time to just cut my losses with my CADD class. I was too ambitious taking on two classes with a new job at the same time, especially a new job with a schedule opposite to the one I worked for 7 years. My main reason for taking the classes was to defer my student loans while gaining valuable experience for graduate school, but the cost of tuition and course materials ended up being pretty darn close to the cost of student loan payments for the semester. I'm pretty sure these books are used in a good number of the drafting classes. It wasn't too bright to taking a class without having had the prerequisite. I need to call a do-over and do the program in proper sequence. Unfortunately, phoning in the class I'm currently in until the end of the semester means I will likely be receiving my first ever failing grade on a transcript. As upsetting as this is, I just don't see any hope of catching up. I still plan to attend the classes and labs (I did pay for them after all), but only as a head start for the prerequisites. The school does allow grade forgiveness if you retake a class, but, while the cumulative GPA isn't affected, the original grade will remain listed on the transcript. Ouch. I just have to remind myself that I already have a bachelor degree, one that I worked damn hard for! I'd hate to think graduate schools would hold one bad call against me when my GPA and work experience are decent. At least I'll have more time for my friends and family now. |
| I has been quite a ride these past few months. Grad. school application is in and I should hear the decision next month. It's a little moot since I plan to defer enrollment for a year while I finish my drafting certification, but it will be a load off to know where I'm going to be for the next couple of years. Sometimes I think I'm too afraid to take necessary risks, but I really want to be ready for graduate school and I don't think my work experience will help me much on a practical level. It's hard to balance work with the two classes I'm taking at the local community college, especially since I've made the move from working "normal" working hours to working nights. I got a little financial pressure valve from my dad so I'll be able to keep my superior university health insurance and my gym membership. I hope my tax rebate from the Economic Stimulus Package will be the maximum as well. Well, my break's almost over. More later. |
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| My essay still looks so short! The questions are: Why do you want to go to graduate school? What do you plan to derive from this field of study? If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area. What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a professional? It needs to be a couple of paragraphs longer for Tech and 4X long for VCU (!). Any thoughts? I'm sorry. I know it's not finished.
Thanks everybody!! |
| OMG!! I was shopping for pants with the Target gift card I got for Christmas, knowing that I had put on a good 15 pounds since July. Nothing I have really fits me anymore. Stress and boredom eating have been the death of me. While looking at myself in the three way mirror, a horrific sight befell me. The beginnings of back rolls! EEK!! I've finally firmed up my class schedule at the Community college so now I can submit my semester availability at Whole Foods and come up with some sort of gym schedule. It would probably help to stop snacking so much at work. Working at a bakery is deadly! |
| I actually didn't finish everything in the lab until Sunday evening. It's all done now, though. I don't think it's really sunk in that the lab is no more. Even my goodbye lunch was uneventful I went down to said "goodbye" to my animals before I left for good Sunday night and found myself doing all my usual "puttering" (righting overturned huts, topping off water bottles, etc.). It felt very routine up until the end, which I guess made it easier to put on a brave face. I'll probably be pretty bummed in a couple of days, though. I'm finding it very therapeutic to be able to "see the sun" during the day. Most people I know say that 3-10:30pm shifts are dreadful, but, so far I'm liking it. I've got Tues and Wed off this week too! Probably to prepare me for holiday Hell. At least it's nicer than a 9-5 locked away in a basement. It's going to suck not being able to hang with my posse on a routine basis (dinner every Friday, poker every other Thursday), but part of me thinks that I needed to mix it up a little anyway. It will just be a little more effort to keep up with them. I woke up Monday morning in a bit of a "what have I done" panic. I've already had two "what's up" emails and one visit at the bakery counter from my former lab mates. It's nice, although it was a little awkward standing on the service side of the counter while my former collegue chatted with me from the customer side. That means moving on will mean "keep in touch" for real this time, not just saying I will the way I always have without following through. It's nice to see some effort on the other side. That's new too. I don't know if I be ready to slice bread for Dr. S. with a smile, but hopefully she won't ask me to do that anytime soon. |
| Nothin' says lovin' like a mass email. Hi All, My last official day in the lab will be Dec. 14th, though I might be in and out before the holidays to finish things up. If you have any questions about where things are or have any last minute solution requests, now is the time to let me know. I've truly enjoyed working with everyone, and will miss seeing you all on a daily basis. My university mail will no longer work after the 14th, but feel free to contact me at ---------------- for any reason. All the best, Anna |
| I sent Dr. S an email yesterday telling her I would be starting full time at Whole Foods the week of Dec 10th. I thought she'd allow me to continue working for her until the end of Dec. to keep my benefits going, but she's saying she wants me out sooner. Turns out I'm covered until the end of Dec. anyway, but it's COBRA all the way until at least May. That's $1750 or more than half my savings since I won't be getting a check from the University on Jan 1st. Dr. S. also seemed a little annoyed by the leave time I'd accrued, which worries me because we've been getting along so well and she seemed happy to write me a great reference for graduate school. I hope she hasn't changed her mind on that. I've waived the right to review the reference before submitting (as is usually required, or at least suggested, for most programs) so there's no way to know. I guess I'm not in for as hellacious a month as I thought. I've already signed up for a Technical Drawing class at the community college, but that doesn't start until Jan. 17th. I'd like to take an Applied Calculus class, but have to meet with a counselor to establish my placement. Hopefully, it won't be full before I have a chance to sign up. Sadly, the drawing class is on Thursday nights, Waltz, which means no poker for the semester, but we might be able to squeeze in Wednesday night games.  |
| At long last. I was offered the full time, evening position at Whole Foods so I will finally be able to escape the trials of being soft money labor for crazy people. Not that I couldn't still end up with a crazy boss at WF, but at least my tiny salary is based on store revenue and not government handouts. Happy Day!! Graduate school applications are going well in terms of paper pushing. If only I could get the bloody essays done. This is a particularly inopportune time to have writers block. I also seem to be ending on a positive note in the lab, which is nice. I might even be able to swing temp. position in the lab if I play my cards right. On simpler notes, I'm also loving my new cheapy iPod, and a stranger bought my bottled water for me when I came up short in the hospital cafeteria. It was an older lady, before anyone starts thinking I was being hit on. It's nice to have good news.  |
| Dr. S put me back as an author on the infamous paper that got me fired. I did some last minute histology before she submitted it to the journal and they liked it, I guess. She had originally told me she was dropping me (and my 3 1/2 months of data) from this paper and she wanted me out by the end of the year. It's weird that 2 weeks of tissue staining would take the place of months of behavioral experiments. Of course, her official justification for giving me the boot is that I was a "slow worker". Then she agreed to be a reference for my grad. school application. She hasn't waivered on her "out-by-the-year's-end" stance and I don't expect her to. For some reason she really doesn't want me to hate her. So I pretend I don't (I even picked up the flowers for her birthday) and she keeps doing nice things for me. This is not what I'd call a functional relationship. |
| Okay, so I've got two of my old professors from JMU, one former boss and one current boss to agree to write me references for school. Next up I'll contact the "advisor" for the CADD certification program at the community college to plan some course of action there. It would be nice to have the certification and refresher calculus and physics courses taken by fall of 2008, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. I'll need to decide how much it will improve my chances of getting a student assistantship, complete with tuition coverage and living stipend. It would probably be worth it to defer enrollment for a year if it meant being more competitive (and generally more prepared). Of course, I haven't even sent out the applications so this might all be moot. The coffee shop manager said he'd cover my shift if Whole Foods scheduled me so that I couldn't work it. Hopefully, I'd be able to work hours elsewhere to make up for the lost income. Dr. S. also okayed me working "flex hours" at the lab so I can start accumulating the WF hours needed to get the their insurance while keeping my nice university salary and benefits until the end of the year. That will be two full time jobs and one part time job at once...during the HELLidays...cant' wait. Of course, I still don't have the final word from WFso this might all be moot. I have got to curb my spending. Not that I'm a spendthrift, but I do spend more than I should on eating out. This was okay when I thought my current job would at least last until the middle of 2008, but not now. Trying to curb spending during the holidays is tough. It's hard to Christmas shop when you're not sure of your budget. They'll be no more Springsteen concerts for a while. I still haven't paid for the last one I went to. I never really considered myself a planner, but all this uncertainty SUCKS. |
| On the job front, I've easily sent out 50 employment applications within and outside of the university since September and have had four interviews total. The most promising so far is a team member position in the Whole Foods bakery. hmmm... I'm beginning to think that most of the positions were posted early to gather applications for hiring after the first of the year. The holidays are such a crummy time to hire, right? The fact I did not put my name in the hat for any research positions could have something to do with my dry spell, too. Well...I did apply for one at the behest of my friend (you remember Kirsten), and was told by the interviewer that the fact that I'd worked in 5 labs since August 2000 "didn't look good". No kidding. Honestly, I just can't bring myself to worry. I'm better prepared this time than I was 4 years ago. Unemployment isn't fun, but I know it's not fatal. I could certainly do worse than the Whole Foods bakery. Especially since it's a night position which will make taking refresher classes at PVCC easier to manage. I'm a little worried about how I'll handle 6mo. of $350 COBRA payments and try to pay for classes while making $10/hr. My calculations say I'll have just enough. Especially irritating is that Whole Foods is telling me that they might not accomidate my Sat. shift at the coffee shop. My shift at the coffee shop ends at 3:30pm; shifts at WF start from 2-3pm. ARRRGH!!! I'll talk to the coffee shop manager tomorrow and see what we can work out. I'll need BOTH incomes to make ends meet so if they can't jibe, it's back to the drawing board. On the school front, I caught up with one of my Geology professors from JMU. Not only did he remember me, but he remembered me fondly and said he'd be happy to write me a letter of reference. He's also a high official of the USGS. Score! Next up, the head of JMU's Environmental Science Department. Wish me luck! |
| An actually email written by me. Yes, I have no shame: Hi Dr. _______, I'm going to take a gamble that you remember me, even though I graduated in 2000. I took your "Earth and Man" class in the summer of 1998 and your "Soil and Land Use" class in 1999. I have fond memories of both. The reason why I am writing is because, after a long hiatus from the field, I have decided to apply to a graduate program in Environmental Science. It's a bit awkward reconnecting with people I haven't spoken to in so long, but I think it is important that at least one of the three letters of recommendation required to apply be from someone in the field. I've been working as a laboratory technician in various medical research departments for the past seven years...tragic, I know. If you do remember me, I would be honored to have you as a reference, but if you don't or are not comfortable writing the letter I would certainly understand. I know it's a lot to ask. Either way, it's great to catch up with you. Thanks Again, Anna R. He'll probably think I'm nuts. Ah well, it was worth a shot. |
| I'm embarrassed to say I'm not actually sick. I bought a salve yesterday for my sunburned scalp. I gooped up my hair good, but when I went to wash it out, no go. My hair now has the consistancy of a Ken doll's and I've easily washed it 20 times. Worse still, it itches like CRAZY. I called the product help line only to be told that the product had been intended for "coarse, ethnic hair". Nice. Nothing on the bottle said anything about it, but the lady insisted that I should have been able to tell "just by looking at it". Silly me. She finally admitted that this isn't the first time this has happened. Then she advised me to wash my hair with a mixture of baking soda and Dawn dishwashing detergent, the same concoction used to clean up marine life after an oil spill, "as many times as it takes". Double nice. An amusing story that I thought you'd all enjoy. |
| Yeah, I know. I has a bankruptcy under my belt and am totally unworthy, but I was in good standing with my creditors up until 3 months before filing and have been super vigilent ever since. My score was 652, damn good all things considered. Now it's dropped to 595 in a matter of 7 days and I've got two collections accounts that I don't recognize. To top that off, my social security number isn't even right and half of the former addresses under my personal information aren't mine. I do recognize most of them. Two are my sister's college addresses, one is my grandmother's, the other I've never heard of. I tried to submit an online dispute about the addresses and received an error message that they had been submitted by grant guarantors and were historical. WTF? I never lived any of these places or used them as a mailing address. What a mess! I better roll up my sleeves to get to the bottom of this. |
| Jeez! Glad I asked! Anna, I am so sorry to have delayed your job search. At this point, it is unlikely that we will fill this position before the holidays. We have decided to recruit at several upcoming annual meetings. My best suggestion is that you not turn down any acceptable offers. Sorry for any confusion regarding our timeline. -Manager Bastards! |
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