Considering a New Employment Opportunity

In the past, workers stayed with the same company for years and years, working their way up in the company. However, times have changed. Businesses facing hard economic times restructure, forcing employees to look for new jobs. It’s also become common for workers to change jobs several times throughout their careers as they seek higher salaries and new professional opportunities. Whether you’re forced to seek a new employment opportunity or are willingly doing so, you’ll eventually be faced with an important decision: When you’re offered a job, should you take it?

Make sure the offer is firm before you evaluate it

Although it may be useful to explore an employment opportunity, don’t waste time dreaming about your new position until you have gone through the interview process, gathered data on the company, and received a firm offer of employment. Only then should you take time to compare the offer you’ve received against the job you already have or a job offer you’ve received from another company. You’ll have the facts, and you can make a more informed, unemotional decision.

Investigate the company
Where to look for information

Gather some data that can help you evaluate what kind of future you can look forward to with the company you’re investigating. It’s a good idea to do some research on the company before you have an interview so you’ll know what questions to ask and be able to fairly judge the answers you receive. There are many ways to get background information on a company. Here are a few:

• Check your local public or university library–Many references are available through public or university libraries that can help you obtain information about a company or an occupation. Following are references that can give you general information about the company (including some financial data):
  1.   Dun & Bradstreet’s Million Dollar Directory 2.   Standard & Poor’s Register of Corporations 3.   Ward’s Business Directory 4.   Thomas’ Register of American Manufacturers
• You should also look for information on a business in consumer or trade magazines and/or newspapers. Magazines and newspapers may contain up-to-date information about the company’s future, its products and services, and its successes and failures. You may also be able to find out something about the company’s key executives and philosophy. Rather than check the magazines individually, check one or more of the following indexes:
  1.   Business Periodicals Index 2.   Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature 3.   Wall Street Journal Index
• Look for information via the Internet–If you have Internet access, you can use it to find information on a company without leaving your home or office. Many excellent resources exist, including the following:
  1.   American City Business Journals, www.bizjournals.com–This site will search the archives of many weekly U.S. business journals, looking for the name of the company or organization you are researching. As a result, you may be able to access articles, press releases, and snippets of information about the company. 2.   Dun & Bradstreet, www.dnb.com–At the Dun & Bradstreet site, you can find information (including financial) about millions of companies. If you want a detailed report, however, you’ll have to pay. You may want to do this once you are seriously considering a job offer.

Whatever research method you choose, it’s often easier to find information about public rather than private companies and well-established companies rather than new ones. To get hard-to-find information, you may want to contact the public relations liaison in the company and ask for general information and/or an annual report. You may also be able to get information by asking individuals who do business with the company or who have worked there in the past or by asking about the company at your local chamber of commerce.

What kind of information to look for

As you research a company or organization, try to find answers to some or all of the following questions:

• How strong is the company financially?
• Will the company be taken over by another in the near future?
• Is the company planning to expand?
• How many employees does the company have?
• How long has the company been in business?
• Is the company privately or publicly held and by whom?
• What successes and failures has the company experienced?
• What is the company’s philosophy?
• Is the company a part of a growing industry?

Answering these questions can enable you to determine whether the company or organization is a good match for you and help you decide whether the company has a strong track record and an exciting future. Supplement the information you get via your own research by asking questions during your interview to fill in the gaps or to expand your understanding of the company. If possible, try to talk to one or more employees who currently work there to get a handle on the company environment and future.

Assessing the job offer

Salary and bonuses

You probably have some idea of what you want to earn, and the salary offered by the company you are evaluating may or may not match your expectations. Obviously, if the company offers you more than you expect, you have no problem. But what if the company offers you less? First, find out how frequently you can expect a pay review and/or a raise, and try to determine how much the pay increase is likely to be and on what is it based (e.g., merit, cost of living). In general, you should expect the company to increase your salary at least annually. Next, ask about bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing that can add a lot to your income. To fully evaluate the salary you’re being offered, try to find out about the average pay for that job in your area. You can do this by talking to others who hold similar jobs, by calling a recruiter (i.e., headhunter), or by doing library or Internet research. The following resources can help you:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Compensation and Working Conditions Phone: (202) 606-6225 Internet: www.bls.gov
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics Phone: (202) 606-6400
• JobStar Salary Info Internet: www.jobstar.org

Many salary surveys are available on the Internet that you can use to research salaries in your profession.
Benefits

Never overlook the value of good employee benefits. Benefits can add thousands of dollars to your base pay, and some benefits (including group health insurance and disability insurance) can be difficult to obtain privately at a reasonable price. Although many companies offer them, the type and quality of benefits vary widely from company to company. Find out what benefits the company offers and how much of the cost the employee must bear.

Future opportunities with the company

You’ll want to find out what opportunities exist for you to move up in the company. This includes determining what the company’s goals are and the type of employee the company values. Will you get to use skills you already have? Will you need more training and education? Is your philosophy regarding work in line with the company’s? (If not, you may have trouble getting promoted or may end up leaving the company.) In addition, make sure the company has a future at all. If it’s a new company, it may be at risk for folding in the near or distant future, so take time to evaluate the company’s structure and plans and, if possible, to find out some information about the financial soundness of the organization. If the company is well established, determine if it is in a growth industry and try to find out (possibly by checking annual reports or articles about the company) what plans it has for the future.

Working environment

You may be getting paid well and the company may offer great benefits, but you still may not be happy working there if the working environment does not suit you. To evaluate the working environment, pay attention if you get a chance to tour the company’s offices. Do employees seem extremely busy? Do they look happy? Bored? Is the office space cold or inviting? Do people seem relaxed and friendly? Tense? In addition, try to meet the individuals you will be working with closely. Do they seem like people you would be comfortable working with? Do you sense any hostility? Do they say they like their jobs? Finally, consider how much time you must spend at your job. Are the hours suitable? Will you work a lot of overtime? Will you have to punch a clock, or is the scheduling somewhat flexible?

Consider the financial and emotional impact of taking the job

Professional and personal consequences

To evaluate the professional and personal consequences of taking the job, consider the following questions:

• How will taking this job positively or negatively affect your finances? Consider increases or decreases in salary, cost and availability of benefits, and related costs of taking this job, including relocation, spouse potentially losing his or her job, and the cost of transportation.
• How will this job indirectly affect your finances? For instance, will taking this job lead to better opportunities in the future? Does taking this job mean taking on additional financial risk (e.g., if the job doesn’t work out or the company downsizes or goes out of business)?
• Will taking this job make you happier? Aside from the financial implications of accepting the job, consider the emotional consequences, both personal and professional. Will you be happier than you are now? Will your family be happy with your choice? Will you work longer hours or have more time to relax? Will you be better respected or be able to expand your professional horizons?

Ramifications of golden handcuffs

Sometimes employers use nonqualified deferred compensation plans as golden handcuffs to make sure that key employees stay with the company for a specified period of time. If you are a highly compensated or key employee and participate in such a plan, you may lose certain benefits if you leave the company prematurely under the terms of the plan. Since your monetary loss may be significant, consider this before changing jobs.

Should you accept the offer?

Despite the time and energy you spend researching and evaluating, the hardest part is yet to come: deciding whether to accept the offer. Begin by assembling the facts, data, and information you have gathered. Think back to the interview, paying close attention to your feelings and intuition about the company and/or the position. Consider not only the salary offered to you but also what future you can expect with the company, and think about whether you believe you would be happy and excited working there. If you’re having trouble making a decision, try writing down the pros and cons of accepting the job; it may then become clear whether the positives outweigh the negatives. Sometimes, you may really want the job, but you’re unhappy with the salary or the benefits offered to you. If so, it’s time for negotiation.

Making the job offer acceptable through negotiation

Some people are afraid to negotiate a job offer because they really want the job and are afraid that the company will rescind the offer or respond badly if they attempt to negotiate. However, if you truly want the job but find the salary, benefits, or hours unacceptable, it’s better to face rejection than turn down what otherwise would be a great opportunity. The first step in negotiating is to tell your potential employer what it is that you want. Make it clear that you are immediately willing and able to accept the offer if this aspect of the offer could be changed. Be specific. Name the amount of money it would take or the exact hours you would like to work. However, don’t threaten the company, and if you really want the job, don’t imply that you’ll walk if the offer remains unacceptable. Stay neutral.

What will happen? The company may refuse your request, either because company policy does not allow negotiation or because the company is not willing to move from its original offer. Or, the company may make you a second offer, perhaps offering you more money but not as much as you requested or offering to make up to you in benefits what they can’t give you in salary.

In either case, the ball is back in your court. If the offer is still unacceptable, you may have to turn the job down. However, if the offer is better but not exactly what you want, ask for a day or two to think about it.

It’s also possible that the company will accept your counteroffer outright, especially if you have unique talents or experience. At this point, there isn’t much else to say except, “Thank you, I look forward to working here.”

For more information visit www.ldloweplan.com.

[Via http://ldloweplan.wordpress.com]

Welcome to the Jungle.

The first thing my boss told me when I got to work today was, “Hey! I hope you’re having a good day, because that ends here.” That isn’t an exact quote, but it was something like that. And she was pretty correct. But it wasn’t a bad day. It was actually a good day. Class was fun, I got to eat lunch (!), and work was interesting. The reason she said what she did was because student life was in, forgive the language, a shitstorm of controversy, media madness, and confusion. The reason, and I really can’t legally say much more than this, is because of an issue of a possible incident of hazing in a sorority. It was intense. That happening during sorority formal recruitment was not fun. I got to make 235 nametags today at work, though, and that was kind of fun.

While in the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, I heard something that I had never heard before that was really interesting. Someone mentioned that good things and bad things happen in threes. So if three good things happen to you, you can expect the next three things in your life that mean something to be negative. It’s an interesting idea and I thought I’d share it to go along with the balance theme of the week.

Anyway, not a bad day. I ate pretty well, worked out, got everything done, and TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! Awesome.

[Via http://butthatsjustmyopinion.wordpress.com]

Bumpy Ride

I figure I should be blogging more than I do, if only to keep my writing sharp. For some reason, a while ago, I lost the desire to put my words down. Boring job. Long commute. Life issues. They just got the best of me. Times have most definitely changed. Life is so much better now, so I’d like to get back into the habit of working out my thoughts… here. I just need to find some motivation. A muse would be nice.

Until I find it, I doubt I’ll be here often.

Right now, I’m consumed with finding a job, helping my husband in his search for one,  (Woo hoo! We’ve both been laid off! How’s that for the old psyche?) and selling not one- but TWO houses! OMG. I think I”m in for a bumpy ride.

[Via http://journalgirl1.wordpress.com]

Career Planning for Stay-at-Home Moms

Connie writes: Lesa, Do you have any advice for women who used to be career girls and have now decided to be stay at home moms? I would like to re-enter the work force in a few years when my kids are in school. I am wondering what activities, programs, etc. I should be involved in now so that when I do start looking to get hired I am as appealing as some of the other candidates, even if I have a 5 year gap in my job history. It seems like a daunting task to get back out there again after such a long time so any advice for what I can do now to make that time easier would be great!

Connie: The big question is, do you want to go back to re-enter the work force doing the same type of work you were doing when you left? If so, stay current on that industry by joining groups on the internet that discuss the industry’s news and events. Contribute to the online community through posts to blogs and group discussions. You’ll meet new people this way, which may help when you begin looking for a job a few years down the road. If you can attend conventions, seminars and/or trade shows related to the industry during these years that will be helpful too. Don’t hesitate to meet people and tell them your story – you’ll be surprised by how much support you’ll receive when you tell folks that you’re just staying in the loop while attending to your young family. If you’re not going back into the same line of work then of course you’ll want to prepare yourself for whatever it is you do want to do when you re-enter. Follow the same path by participating online and in person where and when possible.

Either way, if you can volunteer your skills from home while on maternal sabbatical that is ideal. Simply put yourself out there to various organizations telling them exactly what you’re doing and why. It should look something like this either in writing or over the phone: “Hi, my name is Connie and I have a professional background in ___________. I’m planning to stay home with my children until they are both in elementary school and would like to keep my skills sharp during that time. I’m calling/writing to see if I can volunteer with your organization. What I can offer is ____ hours per week from home, and I have everything I need in order to provide these services since I already have a computer and internet connection. I can also help out with ___________ and __________ and if it’s okay for me to bring my kids along, I can be on-site ____ hours per week. I have excellent references and look forward to talking with you more about this soon.”

Beyond that, you know if you’ll need to keep current on any licenses you need for your line of work so you should take whatever classes or tests that are required. Stay active, stay connected and you should be able to re-enter the work force fairly easily when the time comes.

*This post was written for the Reaching Hire career advice column on SearchWarp .

[Via http://brickelm.wordpress.com]

When Your Job Really Is Killing You

We have all said those words or have heard them uttered by a coworker, friend, or significant other when they are tired, stressed, or have just had enough for the moment. But, what if your job really is killing you like mine is?

I have been working as a graphic designer for nearly 20 twenty years within various industries (advertising, marketing, newspaper, publishing, signage) and this past July I accepted a position at a small “Mom and Pop” print shop. I enjoy my position as a graphic designer at CBA and I was happy to return to the field after a four year hiatus. However, in the short time that I have been at CBA I have been absent from work as often as I have been present. Naturally this does not set well with my employer.

The absences began on August 10th. I woke fevered, in a sweat, and was very cold. Every part of my body ached. It was difficult to breathe and I had no energy. Fortunately my physician was available and could fit me in. My diagnosis was pneumonia. Pneumonia? How could I have pneumonia when I had been fine up until that morning? No explanation but I had pneumonia on top of my asthma.

Long story short…Since that day I have been diagnosed with pneumonia on two separate occassions, and diagnosed with the flu three times. At one time I missed 30 consecutive days of work. Whatever has gotten hold of me to cause these respitory problems appears to be an anomoly. My physician has stated several times that he does not understand why I am not getting better.

Eventually, through a process of elimination, questioning, and testing it has been determined that the inks and chemicals that are used in the press room at CBA are the culprits. The official diagnosis is occupational asthma. Occupational asthma is a respiratory disease caused by exposure to workplace triggers. The shopping list of triggers is varied and can include contaminants in the air, such as smoke, chemicals, vapors (gases), fumes, dust, or other particles; respiratory infections, such as colds and flu (viruses); allergens in the air, such as molds, animal dander, and pollen; extremes of temperature or humidity; and emotional excitement or stress.

Occupational asthma is the leading work related lung disease in developed countries. Although the exact number is not known it is believed that 15% of asthma cases in the U.S. are work related. The most common jobs having workers with this disease are plastics industry; rubber industry; chemical industry; textile industry; electronics industry; painting; printing; dyeing; metalworking; welding; oil refining; cleaning; baking and food processing; farming; gardening, landscaping, and horticulture; and working with animals.

The symptoms for occupational asthma (coughing, wheezing, tightness in chest, chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue) are the same as for asthma. The only difference in having asthma and occupational asthma is the trigger. Medical care should be received for either type of asthma attack and an attack plan should be developed in case of emergency.

Occupational can not be cured but the symptoms can be treated. First and foremost in the treatment plan is to avoid known triggers. Controlling medications such as inhaled corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory should be taken on a regular basis. A rescue inhaler should also be used to open restricted airways.

Prevention of occupational asthma can entail working with your employer to eliminate the irritant, measure and correct air quality, wear protective gear when handling or using irritants, and if all else fails you may have to quit your job.

Related Articles

Safety and Health Topics: Occupational Asthma

Mayo Clinic: Occupational Asthma

Tips to Remember: Occupational Asthma

[Via http://cynthiacutright.wordpress.com]

My underwear day

Bear is at that point in her life where I feel like I spend every 5 minutes telling her to focus.  But then there is that TV flickering or something shiny or THEN she remembers those teeth I told her to brush 6 hours ago.  There was an incident the other day where she was getting dressed.  Really it shouldn’t take that long but I turned around and there she was with underwear on backwards and inside out and in the middle of dressing something caught her eye in a book and the rest of the clothes are no longer important. 

Dude…doesn’t that feel weird?  She glances down, shrugs her shoulders at me and proceeds to read.  I’m left standing there wondering where her brains are.

In the past two days I have been left wondering where the hell my OWN brains are.  I have had a hell of a time making it out the door to get to work. I have made it all the way into my truck before I notice I still have on my slippers then return for my goloshes only to realize once I got to work- forgot my heels.  Thank God I didn’t have a meeting that day.  Everyone kept asking me where my Ark was.  Screw you.  If you see Noah and he is hot- send him my way.

This morning?  Well this morning I ran around, after I overslept, only to get a few miles down the road and see that my purse did not accompany me out the door.  Why the hell it didn’t scream “Hey Wait” when I walked out with everything else, I have no idea.  Needless to say I was late for work. 

As if the world was not putting me into enough of a tail spin the past few days I go into the bathroom at work this morning, look down at myself and realized something wasn’t right.  My adorable black thong didn’t look right….because it was inside out.  I’m walking around with my VS tag on the outside.  I get no one can see it but I KNOW.  So much for MY focus.  This is enough to screw up my whole day.  My underwear is inside out…what if a hot cop pulls me over at lunch and wants to have crazy sex?  How stupid do I look…yes, I shaved my legs this morning and my downtown train station was taken care of last week but I look like a moron because that’s my sexy wear….inside out.  The only reason it isn’t backwards? Well, because that feels funny in a thong.  Although after this realization it FELT inside out and wrong the rest of the day.  Sure, I could have gone in the bathroom, taken off my shoes and actually pulled off clothing and rearrange it all the correct way but THAT seemed ackward.  Sex on the bosses desk….not ackward….turning my underwear right side around….ackward.

I was never so happy to come home tonight and strip down my clothes as I walked down the hallway.  I grabbed a new pair of underwear, pulled them on and went to grab a sweatshirt.  I made it about 5 feet before I realized that I was both inside out and backwards.  Butt in the front with the tag staring up at me from the outside.  I was embarrassed for myself.  Rock on.  Apparently there is something in the air. I decided to just go without underwear for the night, focus while getting dressed tomorrow, and not yell at Bear while she is dressing.  And oh yea, I had a date tonight…..

[Via http://lovedyoumore.wordpress.com]

Cheating, Eating, and Greeting

Today is my first cheat day. I’m not going to take it overboard. I haven’t even cheated yet, and it’s already 2pm! I think that the appeal of healthy food is starting (barely) to win over the appeal and taste of donuts. Still…I’ll be having a donut today. And ice cream.

But, I digress. It’s pouring at Rutgers which gives me wet clothes and a wet attitude. I love rain, but I don’t like being out in it.

On the more exciting news front, it’s time to say “hello” to 10 hours a week at a minimum wage job that I’m lucky to have! The pay isn’t great, but it should be an awesome experience. I start work tomorrow and have an interesting two week schedule, what with scheduling around classes and working with producing an involvement fair this Wednesday, and the day of service of the 6th. After that I have normalcy and a full but constant schedule. Hooray cogs meshing!

To those of you reading, buckle up. It’s been boring till now. With all the new stuff coming into my life, I’m going to have lots to talk about. Maybe even my feelings. Ugh, that’s an interesting subject.

Until tomorrow…

[Via http://butthatsjustmyopinion.wordpress.com]

The New Year brings a new addition to the Recruitment Team at 20:20 Selection Ltd.

                                                            PRESS RELEASE The New Year brings a new addition to the Recruitment Team at 20:20 Selection Ltd. In the summer of 2008, Samantha Harrison, was the proud winner of the prestigious Pharma Times Senior RBM of the Year Award. At the start of 2010, she has begun the New Year with an exciting new challenge, by proudly joining the 20:20 Selection team as their new Recruitment Consultant. Sam joined the pharmaceutical industry over 20 years ago as a Medical Sales Representative, and since then, she has worked in a wide variety of roles in her career, in both pharmaceuticals and in the CSO marketplace. Sam has extremely wide experience to bring to 20:20 Selection, having been an Oncology Hospital Specialist, a Field Trainer, a Regional Business Manager, Management Trainer, National Sales Manager, Operations Manager and most recently, as a Project Director at Innovex (UK) Ltd, managing multiple vacancy management teams for major clients in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Karen says, “Sam has built numerous teams for pharmaceutical companies in her time at both Innovex and Ashfield, so she has a great deal of experience and expertise in the field of recruitment. Sam understands exactly what kind of candidates our clients need, in order for them to compete in an increasingly demanding market. I know from first hand experience of working with her in the past, that she has the skill set to do a great job, and also a superb attitude that will help her to fit in perfectly at 20:20 Selection. She is talented, professional and extremely hard working. Those factors are crucial in recruitment.”

Sam has always kept an eye on the successful growth of 20:20 Selection since Karen Forshaw, 20:20’s Director, started the company. Sam and Karen have known each other for a long time, as they were colleagues together at Roche Pharmaceuticals, back in the mid 1990’s. Formed in 2002, 20:20 Selection Ltd has built a reputation for providing unrivalled recruitment services in terms of its commitment and dedication to both candidates and clients. “The reputation for quality that Karen and the team have developed within the market place is the main reason that I was so keen to come on board”, explains Sam. “I am delighted to be part of the team at 20:20 Selection”.

[Via http://2020selection.wordpress.com]

New Possibilities in the New Year

I’ve been busy and wanted to take the opportunity to update you on all the happenings…

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have secured a new internship – my first non-PR-related internship. I know what you’re thinking. It is a total oh-my-goodness-I’m-so-glad-this-finally-happened situation.

Photo Courtesy of Twine Interactive

Right after the New Year, I started working in downtown Raleigh at Twine Interactive as their marketing intern. Not to be cliché, but I’m really enjoying my time at the office. It is nice to be back in the swing of things and feel productive about my work. The position focuses on content strategy and execution, and I was able to dive right in working on email marketing and social media campaigns. I’m happy to be working with such a good group of folks and excited about learning more about developing campaign strategy. I foresee many fun times to be had at Twine Interactive.

For the time being, I am couch surfing between a couple friends in the Triangle while the rest of my week is spent in Pinehurst. Fortunately, I’m still able to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills and have been involved with the planning for their upcoming Gala “April in Paris .”

I look forward to the many possibilities ahead, including finding my first full-time-permanent-employee-this-is-for-real job.

Cheers,

G

[Via http://gwynnemurphy.wordpress.com]

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长信银利精选  (0.8344)

长信利息收益  (0.8917)

大成基金管理有限公司

开放式基金15只 大成价值增长  (0.8379)

大成债券A/B类  (1.0444)

大成蓝筹稳健  (0.8055)

大成精选增值  (1.1233)

大成货币A  (–)

大成2020生命周期  (0.7320)

大成策略回报  (1.0620)

大成强债  (1.0712)

大成行业  (1.0680)

大成货币B  (–)

大成债券C类  (1.0218)

大成创新成长(LOF)  (0.9440)

大成积极成长  (1.0350)

大成景阳  (0.7820)

大成沪深300指数  (1.1747)

封闭式基金5只 基金景宏 (1.7034)

基金景博 (2.2630)

基金景福 (1.5937)

基金景阳 (3.7866)

基金景业 (1.5548)

东方基金管理有限责任公司

开放式基金6只 东方龙  (0.6549)

东方精选  (1.0555)

东方金账簿  (–)

东方策略成长  (1.4299)

东方稳健回报  (0.9790)

东方核心动力  (1.0207)

东吴基金管理有限公司

开放式基金7只 东吴嘉禾优势  (0.7789)

东吴价值成长双动力  (1.2195)

东吴行业轮动  (1.0594)

东吴进取策略  (1.0862)

东吴新经济  (–)

东吴优信稳健A  (1.0119)

东吴优信稳健C  (1.0119)

富国基金管理有限公司

开放式基金14只 富国天源平衡  (1.0594)

富国天利增长债券  (1.2720)

富国天益价值  (0.9470)

富国天瑞强势地区  (0.9709)

富国天时货币A  (–)

富国天合稳健优选  (0.9618)

富国天时货币B  (–)

富国天成红利  (1.3227)

富国天鼎  (1.6910)

富国优化增强A/B  (0.9980)

富国优化增强C  (0.9980)

富国沪深300  (–)

富国天惠精选成长(LOF)  (1.6358)

富国天博创新主题  (0.9091)

封闭式基金5只 基金汉盛 (1.8620)

基金汉兴 (1.5850)

基金汉鼎 (1.0740)

基金汉博 (2.4099)

淄博基金 (1.0650)

工银瑞信基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金13只 工银瑞信核心价值  (0.4729)

工银成长  (1.3737)

工银瑞信红利  (1.0541)

工银瑞信大盘蓝筹  (1.4340)

工银沪深300  (1.2880)

工银瑞信货币  (–)

工银平衡  (0.7619)

工银瑞信增强收益B类  (1.0868)

工银瑞信添利B  (1.1301)

工银瑞信增强收益A类  (1.0868)

工银瑞信添利A  (1.1301)

工银瑞信全球配置(QDII)  (0.9100)

工银上证央企ETF  (1.6890)

光大保德信基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金9只 光大保德信量化核心  (0.9969)

光大保德信货币  (–)

光大保德信红利  (2.5708)

光大保德信新增长  (1.3359)

光大保德信优势配置  (0.8432)

光大增利A类  (1.0350)

光大增利C类  (1.0350)

光大精选  (1.2301)

光大配置  (1.0380)

广发基金管理有限公司

开放式基金13只 广发小盘成长(LOF)  (2.2024)

广发中证500(LOF)  (1.0080)

广发聚富  (1.3151)

广发稳健增长  (1.6505)

广发货币A  (–)

广发聚丰  (0.8186)

广发策略优选  (1.9150)

广发大盘成长  (0.9512)

广发核心  (1.6020)

广发增强债券  (1.1020)

广发沪深300指数  (1.6780)

广发货币B  (–)

广发聚瑞股票  (1.0690)

国海富兰克林基金管理有限公司

开放式基金8只 富兰克林国海收益  (0.8264)

富兰克林国海弹性市值  (1.5185)

富兰克林国海潜力组合  (1.2445)

富兰克林国海深化价值  (1.4474)

富兰克林国海强化收益A  (1.0374)

富兰克林国海强化收益C  (1.0374)

富兰克林国海成长  (1.2374)

富兰克林国海沪深300  (1.1520)

国联安基金管理有限公司

开放式基金9只 国联安德盛安心成长  (0.9960)

国联安德盛增利A  (1.0610)

国联安德盛增利B  (1.0610)

国联安德盛稳健  (1.8490)

国联安德盛小盘  (0.8650)

国联安德盛精选  (1.0150)

国联安德盛优势  (1.2820)

国联安德盛红利  (1.3670)

国联安主题  (1.0740)

国泰基金管理有限公司

开放式基金16只 国泰金鹰增长  (1.0680)

国泰金龙债券A类  (1.0480)

国泰金龙行业精选  (0.9100)

国泰金马稳健回报  (0.9250)

国泰金象保本增值  (1.4300)

国泰货币  (–)

国泰金鹏蓝筹价值  (1.1890)

国泰金牛创新成长  (1.1440)

国泰沪深300  (0.7120)

国泰金龙债券C类  (1.0480)

国泰区位优势  (1.1600)

国泰金鹿保本(二期)  (1.0510)

国泰双利A  (1.0790)

国泰双利C  (1.0790)

国泰中小盘成长(LOF)  (1.0090)

国泰金鼎价值精选  (1.1980)

封闭式基金4只 基金金盛 (1.1003)

基金金泰 (1.3616)

基金金鑫 (1.2773)

基金金鼎 (1.5210)

国投瑞银基金管理有限公司

开放式基金9只 国投瑞银融华债券  (1.3863)

国投瑞银景气行业  (0.9552)

国投瑞银核心企业  (1.1077)

国投瑞银创新动力  (1.1747)

国投瑞银稳健增长  (1.3740)

国投瑞银成长优选  (1.0337)

国投瑞银稳定增利  (1.0801)

国投货币A  (–)

国投货币B  (–)

封闭式基金1只 基金融鑫 (2.3520)

海富通基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金13只 海富通中证100(LOF)  (1.0420)

海富通收益增长混合  (0.7890)

海富通股票  (0.7400)

海富通强化回报混合  (0.7100)

海富通精选混合  (0.8882)

海富通风格优势股票  (1.1240)

海富通精选贰号混合  (0.7090)

海富通稳健添利债券C  (1.0760)

海富通稳健添利债券A  (1.0760)

海富通领先成长股票  (1.2690)

海富通货币A  (–)

海富通货币B  (–)

海富通中国海外股票(QDII)  (1.4860)

华安基金管理有限公司

开放式基金16只 华安创新  (0.7930)

华安中国A股指数  (0.9630)

华安现金富利  (–)

华安宝利配置  (1.0970)

华安宏利  (2.6649)

华安国际配置(QDII)  (0.9540)

华安中小盘成长  (1.2346)

华安策略优选  (0.8340)

华安稳定收益A  (1.0924)

华安稳定收益B  (1.0924)

华安核心优选  (1.6712)

华安强债A  (1.0380)

华安强债B  (1.0380)

华安动态灵活配置  (–)

华安上证180ETF联接  (1.1200)

华安上证180ETF  (0.7700)

封闭式基金4只 基金安久 (3.1337)

基金安信 (1.6937)

基金安顺 (1.9467)

基金安瑞 (2.1000)

华宝兴业基金管理有限公司

开放式基金15只 华宝兴业宝康消费品  (1.5659)

华宝兴业宝康配置  (1.5939)

华宝兴业宝康债券  (1.1754)

华宝兴业动力组合  (0.9952)

华宝兴业多策略增长  (0.7646)

华宝兴业现金宝A  (0.4719)

华宝兴业现金宝B  (0.4719)

华宝兴业收益增长  (3.4416)

华宝兴业先进成长  (2.5190)

华宝兴业行业精选  (1.0877)

华宝兴业大盘  (1.9068)

华宝兴业增强收益A  (1.0491)

华宝兴业增强收益B  (1.0491)

华宝兴业中证100指数  (1.0456)

华宝海外中国(QDII)  (1.1430)

华富基金管理有限公司

开放式基金8只 华富竞争力优选  (0.8157)

华富货币  (–)

华富成长趋势  (0.7442)

华富收益增强A  (1.0954)

华富收益增强B  (1.0954)

华富策略精选  (1.2264)

华富价值增长混合  (0.9876)

华富中证100  (–)

华商基金管理有限公司

开放式基金5只 华商领先企业  (1.1000)

华商盛世成长  (1.7102)

华商收益增强A  (1.0430)

华商动态阿尔法  (1.0040)

华商收益增强B  (1.0430)

华夏基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金25只 华夏成长  (1.5910)

华夏大盘精选  (9.9320)

华夏优势增长  (2.3190)

华夏复兴  (1.2920)

华夏全球精选(QDII)  (0.8170)

华夏沪深300  (0.9980)

华夏盛世精选  (–)

华夏债券A/B类  (1.1160)

华夏债券C类  (1.1010)

华夏希望债券A级  (1.1350)

华夏希望债券C级  (1.1350)

华夏回报  (1.3840)

华夏红利  (3.4600)

华夏回报二号  (1.1260)

华夏策略精选  (1.9100)

华夏现金增利  (0.8266)

华夏中小板股票ETF  (2.5910)

华夏蓝筹核心(LOF)  (1.3350)

华夏行业精选(LOF)  (1.0000)

中信经典配置  (1.0288)

中信红利精选  (2.6382)

中信现金优势  (–)

中信稳定双利债券  (1.0724)

华夏上证50ETF  (2.5140)

华夏稳增  (1.6650)

封闭式基金5只 基金兴科 (2.7366)

基金兴安 (3.9661)

基金兴华 (1.7367)

基金兴和 (1.4713)

基金兴业 (1.0701)

汇丰晋信基金管理有限公司

开放式基金7只 汇丰晋信2016生命周期  (2.0527)

汇丰晋信龙腾  (1.8445)

汇丰晋信动态策略  (1.2382)

汇丰晋信2026生命周期  (1.3142)

汇丰晋信平稳增利  (0.9977)

汇丰晋信大盘  (1.1176)

汇丰晋信中小盘  (–)

汇添富基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金11只 汇添富上证综指  (1.0470)

汇添富策略回报  (–)

汇添富增强收益C  (1.0650)

汇添富优势精选  (3.0086)

汇添富均衡增长  (0.9192)

汇添富蓝筹稳健  (1.5510)

汇添富成长焦点  (1.2958)

汇添富价值精选  (1.6530)

汇添富增强收益A  (1.0650)

汇添富货币B  (–)

汇添富货币A  (–)

嘉实基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金19只 嘉实成长收益  (0.9424)

嘉实理财增长  (4.3180)

嘉实理财稳健  (0.9630)

嘉实理财债券  (1.2660)

嘉实服务增值  (3.8750)

嘉实浦安保本  (1.0000)

嘉实货币  (–)

嘉实超短债  (1.0064)

嘉实主题精选  (1.2300)

嘉实策略增长  (1.2610)

嘉实海外(QDII)  (0.6980)

嘉实研究精选  (1.5860)

嘉实多元A  (1.1090)

嘉实多元B  (1.1090)

嘉实量化  (1.3320)

嘉实回报混合  (1.0510)

嘉实优质  (0.8160)

嘉实沪深300指数(LOF)  (0.9090)

嘉实基本面50指数(LOF)  (–)

封闭式基金2只 基金丰和 (1.0042)

基金泰和 (1.1830)

建信基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金9只 建信沪深300(LOF)  (1.0110)

建信恒久价值  (0.8508)

建信货币  (–)

建信优选成长  (1.0205)

建信优化配置  (0.9651)

建信精选  (1.1160)

建信稳定增利  (1.1520)

建信收益增强A  (1.0330)

建信收益增强C  (1.0330)

交银施罗德基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金13只 交银上证180公司治理ETF  (1.0450)

交银施罗德货币A  (–)

交银施罗德货币B  (–)

交银增利A/B  (1.0845)

交银增利C类  (1.0810)

交银治理ETF联接  (1.0410)

交银施罗德精选  (1.2366)

交银施罗德稳健配置  (2.2349)

交银施罗德成长  (2.8078)

交银施罗德蓝筹  (0.9222)

交银环球(QDII)  (1.5690)

交银保本  (1.0700)

交银先锋  (1.2331)

金鹰基金管理有限公司

开放式基金4只 金鹰中小盘精选  (1.5064)

金鹰成份股优选  (0.8076)

金鹰红利  (1.2052)

金鹰行业优势  (1.0375)

金元比联基金管理有限公司

开放式基金4只 金元比联宝石动力保本  (1.0521)

金元比联成长动力  (1.2590)

金元比联丰利债券  (1.0030)

金元比联价值增长  (1.0920)

景顺长城基金管理有限公司 开放式基金11只 景顺长城鼎益(LOF)  (1.1370)

景顺长城资源(LOF)  (0.8970)

景顺长城优选股票  (1.1652)

景顺长城货币  (1.0242)

景顺长城动力平衡  (0.7975)

景顺长城内需增长  (3.8140)

景顺长城新兴成长  (1.0250)

景顺长城内需增长贰号  (1.2160)

景顺长城精选蓝筹  (1.0060)

景顺长城公司治理  (1.4750)

景顺长城能源基建  (1.0210)

民生加银基金管理有限公司

开放式基金3只 民生蓝筹  (1.2090)

民生增强收益A  (1.0280)

民生增强收益C  (1.0280)

摩根士丹利华鑫基金管理有限公司

开放式基金5只 摩根士丹利华鑫资源优选(LOF)  (1.9885)

摩根士丹利华鑫货币  (–)

摩根士丹利华鑫基础行业  (0.5682)

摩根士丹利华鑫强收益债券  (–)

摩根士丹利华鑫领先优势  (1.0791)

南方基金管理有限公司

开放式基金21只 南方深证成份ETF  (–)

南方积极配置(LOF)  (1.2693)

南方高增长(LOF)  (1.6293)

南方中证500(LOF)  (1.1900)

南方稳健成长  (1.1600)

南方稳健成长贰号  (0.9837)

南方绩优成长  (1.7540)

南方成份精选  (1.0466)

南方隆元  (0.7120)

南方盛元  (1.1000)

南方价值  (1.3470)

南方沪深300  (1.3240)

南方深证成份ETF联接  (–)

南方宝元债券  (1.1686)

南方多利债券C  (1.0783)

南方多利债券A  (1.0783)

南方避险增值  (2.3952)

南方恒元保本  (1.1460)

南方现金增利A  (–)

南方现金增利B  (–)

南方全球精选(QDII)  (0.7430)

封闭式基金4只 基金开元 (1.1361)

基金天元 (1.5003)

基金隆元 (3.9959)

基金金元 (3.1658)

农银汇理基金管理有限公司

开放式基金4只 农银成长  (1.2799)

农银增利  (1.0189)

农银双利  (1.1787)

农银策略  (1.0472)

诺安基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金10只 诺安平衡  (0.8319)

诺安货币  (–)

诺安股票  (1.1199)

诺安优化债券  (1.0765)

诺安价值增长  (0.9565)

诺安灵活配置  (1.2860)

诺安成长  (1.2370)

诺安增利债券A  (1.0120)

诺安增利债券B  (1.0120)

诺安中证100  (1.0130)

诺德基金管理有限公司

开放式基金4只 诺德价值优势  (1.0222)

诺德成长优势  (1.1290)

诺德灵活配置  (1.2689)

诺德增强收益  (1.0330)

鹏华基金管理有限公司

开放式基金14只 鹏华普天债券A类  (1.1520)

鹏华普天收益  (0.8670)

鹏华中国50  (1.9050)

鹏华货币A  (–)

鹏华价值优势(LOF)  (0.9350)

鹏华普天债券B类  (1.1190)

鹏华货币B  (0.5800)

鹏华动力增长(LOF)  (1.5470)

鹏华优质治理(LOF)  (1.2330)

鹏华丰收债券  (1.1860)

鹏华创新(LOF)  (1.6870)

鹏华沪深300(LOF)  (1.2520)

鹏华行业成长  (1.0467)

鹏华精选  (1.0390)

封闭式基金4只 基金普惠 (1.8627)

基金普丰 (1.5104)

基金普华 (2.4083)

基金普润 (1.0000)

浦银安盛基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金5只 浦银价值  (0.9480)

浦银收益A  (1.0010)

浦银收益C  (1.0010)

浦银生活  (1.0520)

浦银安盛红利  (0.9980)

融通基金管理有限公司

开放式基金10只 融通新蓝筹  (0.9069)

融通债券  (1.1330)

融通深证100指数  (1.5870)

融通蓝筹成长  (1.4520)

融通行业景气  (1.0620)

融通巨潮100指数(LOF)  (1.0990)

融通易支付货币  (–)

融通动力先锋  (1.5790)

融通领先成长(LOF)  (1.1720)

融通内需驱动  (1.0750)

封闭式基金2只 基金通宝 (2.3230)

基金通乾 (1.6909)

上投摩根基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金12只 上投货币A  (1.3100)

上投货币B  (1.3768)

上投摩根纯债A  (1.0080)

上投摩根纯债B  (1.0080)

上投双息平衡  (0.9668)

上投摩根双核平衡  (1.2714)

上投中国优势  (2.7244)

上投阿尔法  (5.4504)

上投亚太优势(QDII)  (0.6020)

上投内需动力  (1.2580)

上投成长先锋  (2.4565)

上投中小盘  (1.5530)

申万巴黎基金管理有限公司

开放式基金9只 申万巴黎盛利精选  (1.0090)

申万巴黎盛利配置  (1.0735)

申万巴黎新动力  (0.8645)

申万巴黎收益宝  (–)

申万巴黎新经济  (0.7777)

申万巴黎竞争优势  (1.6129)

申万巴黎添益宝A  (1.0180)

申万巴黎添益宝B  (1.0180)

申万巴黎消费增长  (1.1670)

泰达荷银基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金13只 泰达荷银成长  (1.1584)

泰达荷银周期  (1.1482)

泰达荷银稳定  (0.6944)

泰达荷银行业精选  (4.8322)

泰达荷银风险预算  (1.5233)

泰达荷银货币  (–)

泰达荷银效率优选(LOF)  (0.7976)

泰达荷银首选企业  (1.6480)

泰达荷银市值优选  (0.7910)

泰达荷银集利A  (1.0134)

泰达荷银品质  (1.1950)

泰达荷银红利先锋  (0.9990)

泰达荷银集利C  (1.0134)

泰信基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金8只 泰信天天收益  (0.8447)

泰信先行策略  (0.7387)

泰信双息债券  (1.0354)

泰信优质生活  (1.2235)

泰信优势增长  (1.3640)

泰信蓝筹精选  (1.1337)

泰信增强收益A  (0.9904)

泰信增强收益C  (0.9904)

天弘基金管理有限公司

开放式基金5只 天弘精选  (0.6328)

天弘永利A  (1.0099)

天弘永定  (1.1213)

天弘周期策略  (–)

天弘永利B  (1.0099)

天治基金管理有限公司

开放式基金7只 天治核心成长(LOF)  (0.6023)

天治财富增长  (0.7603)

天治品质优选  (0.8789)

天治天得利货币  (–)

天治创新先锋  (1.2467)

天治稳健双盈  (1.0237)

天治趋势精选  (1.0060)

万家基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金9只 万家增强收益债券  (1.1089)

万家公用事业(LOF)  (0.8616)

万家上证180指数  (0.7950)

万家和谐增长  (0.6942)

万家双引擎  (1.0272)

万家精选  (1.1183)

万家稳增A  (1.0106)

万家稳增C  (1.0106)

万家货币  (–)

新华基金管理有限公司

开放式基金3只 新华优选分红  (0.8597)

新华优选成长  (2.0333)

新华泛资源  (1.0310)

信诚基金管理有限公司

开放式基金8只 信诚四季红  (0.9874)

信诚精萃成长  (0.9684)

信诚盛世蓝筹  (1.7300)

信诚三得益A  (1.0430)

信诚三得益B  (1.0430)

信诚经典优债A  (1.0210)

信诚经典优债B  (1.0210)

信诚优胜精选  (1.0780)

信达澳银基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金5只 信达澳银领先增长  (1.2568)

信达澳银精华灵活配置  (1.3190)

信达稳定价值A  (1.0060)

信达澳银中小盘  (0.9990)

信达稳定价值B  (1.0060)

兴业全球基金管理有限公司

开放式基金7只 兴业趋势投资(LOF)  (1.1633)

兴业可转债  (1.2611)

兴业货币  (–)

兴业全球视野  (3.4768)

兴业社会责任  (1.4180)

兴业有机增长  (1.1325)

兴业磐稳增利  (1.0089)

易方达基金管理有限公司

开放式基金22只 易方达平稳增长  (1.5630)

易方达策略成长  (4.2930)

易方达50指数  (0.9325)

易方达积极成长  (1.3998)

易方达货币A  (–)

易方达稳健收益A  (1.0771)

易方达稳健收益B  (1.0771)

易方达价值精选  (1.5828)

易方达价值成长  (1.5230)

易方达中小盘  (1.6954)

易方达科汇  (1.5100)

易方达科翔  (1.4710)

易方达行业领先  (1.3420)

易方达货币B  (–)

易方达增强回报A  (1.1090)

易方达增强回报B  (1.1000)

易方达深证100ETF联接  (1.0010)

易方达沪深300  (1.0730)

易方达科讯  (0.8242)

易方达策略成长二号  (1.5820)

易方达亚洲精选(QDII)  (–)

易方达深证100ETF  (4.2720)

封闭式基金4只 基金科汇 (1.1095)

基金科翔 (1.2870)

基金科讯 (2.5449)

基金科瑞 (1.5222)

益民基金管理有限公司

开放式基金4只 益民货币  (–)

益民红利成长  (0.7617)

益民创新优势  (0.9765)

益民多利  (1.0376)

银河基金管理有限公司

开放式基金10只 银河银富货币A  (–)

银河银富货币B  (–)

银河银泰理财分红  (0.9248)

银河银联稳健  (1.0054)

银河银联收益  (1.5525)

银河银信添利B  (1.0563)

银河银信添利A  (1.0563)

银河竞争优势  (1.5585)

银河行业优选  (1.2390)

银河沪深300价值  (–)

封闭式基金2只 半岛基金 (2.6700)

基金银丰 (1.3370)

银华基金管理有限公司

开放式基金14只 银华内需精选(LOF)  (1.0760)

银华沪深300(LOF)  (1.0810)

银华优势企业  (1.1292)

银华保本增值(二期)  (1.2039)

银华道琼斯88  (1.1413)

银华货币A  (0.3984)

银华货币B  (0.3984)

银华优质增长  (2.0110)

银华富裕主题  (1.1715)

银华领先  (1.8833)

银华增强收益  (1.1940)

银华和谐主题  (1.1410)

银华全球(QDII)  (0.9490)

银华核心价值优选  (1.5684)

封闭式基金1只 基金天华 (0.9314)

友邦华泰基金管理有限公司

开放式基金9只 友邦华泰盛世中国  (0.6655)

友邦华泰积极成长  (1.0484)

友邦增利B  (1.1108)

友邦华泰价值增长  (1.2956)

友邦货币A  (–)

友邦行业领先  (0.8400)

友邦货币B  (–)

友邦华泰上证红利ETF  (2.8140)

友邦增利A  (1.1108)

招商基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金14只 招商优质成长(LOF)  (1.4503)

招商安泰股票  (0.8490)

招商安泰平衡  (2.0129)

招商安泰债券A类  (1.1498)

招商现金增值A  (1.0547)

招商先锋  (0.8035)

招商安本增利  (1.2165)

招商核心价值  (1.2116)

招商大盘蓝筹  (1.6050)

招商安心收益  (1.1270)

招商行业领先  (1.1320)

招商中小盘精选  (–)

招商现金增值B  (–)

招商安泰债券B类  (1.1308)

中海基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金6只 中海稳健收益  (1.1440)

中海优质成长  (0.8244)

中海分红增利  (0.8272)

中海能源策略  (0.9577)

中海蓝筹  (1.0714)

中海量化策略  (1.0550)

中欧基金管理有限公司

 开放式基金6只 中欧新趋势(LOF)  (1.0965)

中欧蓝筹  (1.2406)

中欧稳健收益A  (1.0149)

中欧稳健收益C  (1.0149)

中欧价值发现  (0.9500)

中欧中小盘(LOF)  (–)

中银基金管理有限公司

开放式基金8只 中银中国(LOF)  (1.8576)

中银货币  (–)

中银增长  (0.9945)

中银收益  (0.9371)

中银策略  (1.4326)

中银增利  (1.0500)

中银优选  (1.1911)

中银中证100  (1.0390)

中邮创业基金管理有限公司

开放式基金3只 中邮核心优选  (1.5858)

中邮核心成长  (0.8062)

中邮核心优势  (1.0770)

[Via http://kannyan.wordpress.com]

Real Life, Raiding, and the Frustration

So I told you a couple posts back I got a new computer.  I still love it and have upwards of 50 fps in raids.  The problem is my job.  I’m currently a part-time sales associate for a large office supply chain.  This means my schedule is utterly and completely random.  The only day I currently have off consistently is Sunday.  This does not work well with any raid schedule.  Plus having the hardcore desire to push past simple into hard modes is impossible in my current situation.  I’ve made a total of two raids since I “returned” to my guild’s raiding group.  One was the first night of guild Festergut attempts.  The other was doing ToC.  Outside of a drop off Anub and new shoulders my gear sits woefully at Ulduar levels with a few exceptions.  This is mostly mainly due to my laziness and lack of time.  So here I sit frustrated with my addons(if you follow me on Twitter then you know this issue well) and having smaller amounts of time.

I’d love to up and quit my job, but then I couldn’t pay for WoW or this amazing computer.  So I have renewed my job hunt only to find my lack of experience and worthless Bachelors degree a major hindrance.  Now I know I’m not the only person struggling with these issues.  So love to see how others are dealing with taking “second rate” jobs and finding the time to raid.

[Via http://ofclawsandpaws.wordpress.com]

Senior year: Just a bad case of cold feet.

01.21.10

So I’m sitting on my bed contemplating over my almost-ending college experience. I would say I’ve gone through all the cliché beliefs of what a true college student goes through; from studying until the sun rises, to boozing it up with all those unknown drinks in a used red cup you’d find at a party, to creating laugh lines on your face from all those late night laughs with roommates. All I can say now is this: I am damn right going to miss college and all its glory. I’m usually not a person who can easily cry in public, but having graduation going against me, I can just see myself weakening and bawling a pool.

Where to live? I’m from northern California, but I’ve been living in southern California for practically 4 years now due to school. I love both regions of the state. I feel that both parts of California definitely have different atmospheres. Should I make a living in southern California with the majority of my college friends, or move back up north where I actually have family to see? That’s definitely a stressful and exhausting question that keeps pricking my “no worries” way of life.

Where to work? The thought of leaving college is not just the only thing I think about nowadays. One of the major stress factors for me is the thought of simply getting a job. There is just so many obstacles in the way when it comes to finally landing a job. With the popular topic of our struggling economy, and how any job out there has major competition, it’s only understandable that a fresh-out-of-college student with little or no work experience would be worried. Yes I know, college students get the assumption that we have “fresh minds” but going against people with years and years of experience can get pretty intimidating. I guess we have to be on Perseverance and Confident’s good side.

Throughout my 4 years here at school, I have been pretty confident about what career path I wanted to follow. But seeing how things are more official now with graduation bells ringing in the distance, I feel that my confidence has been tampered with. I know I’m a business marketing major, but which industry do I want to follow? Seniors should definitely consider this question before graduating if they do not want to end up like a couch potato rotting away at home. This is why I’ve been looking around in internships again, and going to interviews that don’t even apply to my “working at a cubicle” assumption. I’m desperate to find that guiding light that will show me the way to my career satisfaction. Come soon, please?

All I can say to all graduating seniors out there is to keep playing the game. Be the competitive player and continue striving for your goals and take on risks of disappointment. We need to be able to take on disappointment and keep persevering.

It’s time to warm up our feet again. Where’s my socks at? No, I’m serious!

Peace and love,

Jodi Mak

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[Via http://jodimak.wordpress.com]

Mental Love Story

Ron and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool. Ron suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him.

She swam to the bottom and pulled him out.When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.
When she went to tell Edna the news she said, ‘Edna, I have good news
and bad news.

The good news is you’re being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life
of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound
mindedness. The bad news is, Ron hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he’s dead.’

Edna replied (you’ll love this) .

‘He didn’t hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go
home?’

[Via http://tasneemrocks.wordpress.com]

When Will Anything be Constant?

Am I too selfish? Have my iniquities been so bad that I deserve everything I get? Why is it my daughter may ultimately have to be the one to suffer for mistakes made before she was born? Why did I work so hard prior to her birth to make things comfortable for her, only for it to blow up in my face?

I’m going to flat out admit it…my business is suffering.

I used to work 12 to 16 hour days and that is something that is not feasible. While living a more than comfortable lifestyle before she was born, my husband and I failed to save money. We were enjoying it too much. However, I would always say that we needed to be careful because my income was never guaranteed. I am at the mercy of my clients.

Now here we are wondering what we are going to do because my short time out of the market hurt me. People want me to write articles for them for $1.50 each, when I would normally make no less than $6. I’ve always been resourceful and able to combat economic hardships and such, but now it totally eludes me. In no way do I blame having my daughter for this. The blame is in poor prepartion before she came. We had this “plan” of how we were going to take care of her and me be able to work. Now my work days have turned into 12 hour days that end at 5:00 a.m. I then pray that my daughter will sleep in or take a nap not long after she has woke up. I then pray that that nap will be 2 to 3 hours at least so that I can get some rest. After that one, I pray for another at some point before my husband comes home so that I can get back to work for pennies.

And then my husband says to me today, “You have no sort of a social life.” He’s right. This is also my fault in that I did nothing for my relationships before Kaleigh was born. And what Ihad has more or less pushed me aside with life’s changes. I evaluate and wonder if I came on too strong, talked about my problems too much, or what I have done to make it that way. I know that life brings changes, but I do believe that people can adapt. I feel that if people love each other enough, they’ll do what they can to sustain things to a point, but at this point there isn’t even a “dot.” It’s more like a spec and it hurts. I don’t know what I did. I lost one friend to slowly and painfully see another push away further and further.

Then again, maybe that’s how I am interpreting the situation and my interpretation is completely wrong. But what I know is that there are some aspects that could be constant that are not. There are these subtle changes that I notice, but I pretend I don’t. I love no less, but my circumstances have changed. Yet, I am willing to maintain the best that I can, but that chance never comes. It stinks to love and not feel loved as much in return. I mean, it’s there, but, again, that constant is not there. Maybe it’ll come back someday when things start to click for everyone. I don’t know, but life is short.

I had read on a baby information site that it is good to try to maintain friendships to stay sane. It has to be mutual, though. Not that friendships aren’t being maintained. They are just barely hanging…or at least that’s what it feels like. I am no longer significant because the only purpose I have at this point is to talk and be talked to. I can’t do the things I used to. Maybe that was just my way of hanging on and it was taken advantage of and what I notice missing now was never there to begin with? It just seems like every time I turn around, someone is leaving. I’ve done something to make someone leave.

And now here I am facing the financial ramifications of the decline in my business and my daughter may suffer. We can’t get any help because my husband’s income alone is only $1,000 below the threshold and I bring in a little more than that, but it’s still not enough.

Here I was this morning at 5:00 to 6:00, crying my eyes out because of how hard I work for very little and of how I feel like I’m losing something that was always special to me. And now I question if it ever was what I thought it was. Maybe it was just what I wanted it to be. We have his way of deluding ourselves to protect our own feelings and sometimes I wish that that was not a part of human nature.

Until next time…

[Via http://ramblingmad.wordpress.com]

In the ZONE

Running in the Zone

One thing that I know in my sport, and that most athletes know, is that we play best when in the zone.  For those who don’t know what that is, it’s this mental place where time seems to sit still, everything feels like it’s moving slowly (like in my sport, I see every cue a hitter gives me as to where she will hit the ball), I feel “on”, the game feels instinctual, and there is flow.  It is creative and though the game changes as I go, I just mold your game plan to it, finding opportunities and ways to score no matter what I am given.  The one thing that always strikes me is that when I’m in the zone, I don’t seem to remember every single play that happened and I don’t think about every play that will happen… I am mindless, in some respects, but at the same time, totally mindful. Simply put, I’m present.

In a work situation, I notice the same thing. There are days where everything just works.  People are positive, documents get finished, time flies, yet all is accomplished, solutions are found.  And in relationships, it doesn’t feel hard.  You know where you stand, you may not know where you are going, but you trust the future.  We are in the zone and making things happen. 

 There are hundreds of books, writers, and sport psychologists making shitloads of money showing people how to get into the zone.  They give you tricks, processes, ideas, and yet it’s all to get to this coveted place “the zone”.  So what if it is actually simple?  What if the trick is actually to not TRY to get into the zone, but to LET yourself go into the zone.  But how?  What can we do to turn our minds off, so to speak?

Last year, I had one of the profound opportunities of my life.  I was face to face with  my favourite writer, Eckhart Tolle.  I actually had the chance to ask him anything I wanted, and here’s what I asked:

“How, when I believe that something matters and I want an end result, do I not think about it and just play?”

The reason I asked that question was because I found that when I was playing I would struggle with thinking too much about the outcome or the past when the game mattered.  I knew it wasn’t a state that allowed me to perform to the best of my abilities.  Simply put, my mind was getting in the way.

So what was his answer?  Well, he just stared at me.  Seriously.  He stood 1 foot from me, face to face and just looked at me. 

So here’s a little peak into what my mind was “saying: during this time:  “what’s he thinking? what is he going to say? was my question good? did he understand what I was asking? Am I supposed to be doing something?  Do I look away? Is this awkward?  Yes.  This is awkward.  No, this is nice.  Hmmm…”.  And then, I thought of nothing. 

Almost at that moment he finally spoke “Leah, do you know what I was just thinking of?”  No.  “Nothing”. 

Why?  How?

He said that when he was younger he spent loads of time thinking, analyzing, considering, and as he got older, he realized that he had more truth in BEING than he had in THINKING.  He was not his thoughts.  Truth was not in thoughts (and I just gave you a glimpse into some of my crazy thought patterns so this is a good thing for me!!) .  And it reminded me of a great stat that I learned about some of the top athletes in the world.  Compared to the 10,000 thoughts that normal human beings have a day, those elite athletes only had 2,000.  And they are experts in performance.  So… less thinking = better performances?  Seems that is the answer to my question. 

So this is what I did (care of Eckhart) – for 1 hour a day, I practiced presence.  Every movement, touch, smell, taste etc. I focused on.  If I was washing dishes, I felt the hot water on my hands, smelled the soap, felt the coldness of the plate, and I took my time.  My eye was on the prize, and the prize was the moment.  If my mind wandered, I gently brought it back.  And I’ll tell you how surprisingly relaxing and refreshing this was (and I thought it would be boring!).  The notion was that if I practiced “turning on” my presence doing mundane tasks, then it would be more accessible when I needed it on the court.

If you agree that the only path to the future comes from the present, then shouldn’t we  focus on every present moment?  Like the dishes, for example.  I focus on washing them, putting them away, because later that night I will cook a meal, serve it on the clean dishes, the meal will be digested, and used for energy which will then allow me to perform on the court.  So that dish IS important in the chain.  Eckhart said this “either everything is important, or nothing is important”.  It’s a mantra that sticks with me. For me, EVERYTHING is important.

So, let me know if anyone has any other suggestions and ideas with how to be present and practice presence .  And is everything or nothing important?  I’d love to share and discuss!

www.vivvos.com (presently the best under?wear in the world)

[Via http://leahallinger.wordpress.com]

Blue Jean Kryptonite

I’ve found myself in a rut. As a full-time writer, I’ve always valued being able to work from home. I mean, who wouldn’t want to got to work in their pajamas? The problem is that while I’m in my pajamas, so is my brain. I’ve noticed that domestic distractions are taking over my work hours and I need to get a handle on it before it goes any further.

In lieu of building a home office, I’ve opted for the local coffee shop as my new creative wonder world. After the first day at my new “office,” it was clear that I’d made the right choice. Working in a public place has silenced the pull of Facebook, TMZ, People, and Google. Although I still get the itch to check on my virtual farm, island, and café, pure embarrassment provides a nice out.

There is a lot to be said for the psychological effects of getting dressed in non-pajama clothes. I find myself feeling stronger, more confident, and even bursting with creativity. Who knew that a pair of blue jeans would be my kryptonite and the salvation of my career?

Hey writers, what is your kryptonite?

~tbk

[Via http://tinabommaritokent.wordpress.com]

Hunting

Part Time Customer Word (Joplin)

Flexible Customer Sales/Service position. Looking for energetic, positive, hard working people. Good starting pay. No experience required, training provided. Simple work with customers. All ages 17+. Fun atmosphere. Students welcome to apply. Very flexible schedules around classes, other commitments, and family. We are filling positions immediately so please send contact information (name, phone number) to the above email address or call our office directly at 417-781-1755. We are open Martin Luther King Day.

re:

Hi there,   Obviously responding to your ad concerning your customer service and sales position. If it isn’t filled I’d love to submit my candidacy. I just returned from an extended stay in Australia where all my work was in marketing in sales, doing direct client marketing for Boston One Financial, who specialize in real estate investments. I performed very well there, earning substantial bonuses for my contributions to the company and an award for most reliable employee. Almost all of my work stateside has also been in sales, marketing, and customer service. I have worked hard to become invaluable to the fields I’ve worked in and my references will attest to this.   I’m very interested in hearing more about this position. If you have any questions please write back or call on 417.396.2163   Thanks again for your consideration!   _Caleb Roy

***

Assistant Teacher

Assistant Teachers needed to float between 3-4 full time teachers. They will participate fully in the classroom environment, often preparing and teaching lesson plans, working with students one-on-one and in groups, and communicating with the parents and other teachers on the team. Experience is not necessary; however, we are seeking someone who has a desire to build a career in the field of education. Apply by sending resume or email to erica.controy@gmail.com.

$15-$18 Hourly

re:

Hello,   My name is Caleb Roy. I’ve taken notice of your ad on craigslist looking for Teacher’s assistants in the Joplin area and if the position isn’t filled I’d like to put my name in the hat. I’m including my resume, most of the experience cited there is of a customer service or sales background however. I have a strong interest in education and I’m absolutely thrilled at the idea of being able to get some work experience in while working on my own education. I have been attending MSSU with a major in Teacher Education, though I did take a break from that and have actually just returned from a fantastic gap year spent in Australia. My father (Don Roy) is teacher, and I’m often in his classroom, interacting with his students and learning about the process, and several times both in high school and into college I acted as a private tutor for students in the high school and middle school ages across a range of subjects.   Students love learning with me. And I would love to learn, first person, hands on, up close, about the teaching career, and everything that it involves. If you have any questions, or if you’d like more information do please let me know by returning to this email address or by calling me at 417.396.2163   Thank you again for your consideration and time and I’m very eager to hear back from you.   _Caleb Roy

(a minute later)

Hello again!   Sorry about that, Erica. I got so excited I forgot to attach my resume! Here it is.   Thanks again!   _Caleb

***

Waiters / Waitresses Needed

Fine dining Restaurant is open for servers and waitresses, Experience optional. Generous base pay of $13/hr additionally full tips.

re:

Hi there!   Noticed your ad on craigslist and would like to apply for a waiting position. My name is Caleb Roy, I have a limited waiting experience. I’m extremely well mannered, I’m emotionally stable, four years of customer service and sales positions have made me a master at engaging customers in the kind of nonsensical flattery that not only makes them feel great about themselves, but ensures they’ll be back as often as you’re able to accommodate them. I’ve just returned from an extended trip overseas, spent more than a year in Australia so that’s two countries worth of classiness absorbed and in the toolbelt for unleashing on your patrons. Do please write back if you have any questions for myself, or alternatively, you can call me at 417.396.2163.   Cheers. I look forward to hearing from you.   _Caleb Roy

***

These are three of the six jobs I applied for last night while I should have been sleeping. Other’s include something from a hotel. Customer service for AT&T, where Ryan used to work, and another place I can’t even remember. Got a call this morning from the company in the first ad, their name is Vector. I’ve an interview with them tonight at 7. I should be legally allowed to drive by then… I hope.

[Via http://wizardofaus.wordpress.com]

Baby Boomers’ next steps

“Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous.  When I was sixty-five I still had pimples.” – George Burns

For those of you who are younger, I promise to move on to other things shortly but I first want to complete my thoughts about the current challenges to baby boomers. We have been called the “Me” generation that lives for “now.” What we see in our law practice bears out the conclusions of studies stating baby boomers are not in good shape financially. The recent (current?) recession has made this even worse.

I mentioned previously that one strategy is to continue working past your normal retirement age. This plan has two weaknesses – the availability of good paying jobs and the need for good health. Addressing them will require flexibility.

On the jobs front, we will need to change. Jobs may not be available where we live (or want to live) so we may have to move to where they are located. Probably more important, though, is a willingness to get new training and try new jobs. I recall that when I was in college (a long time ago – my 40th reunion is this June), a labor economist was fond of emphasizing that big changes were coming. Unlike our parents who may have had only one employer for their entire lives, we were going to face having three to five employers in our lifetimes.  And this was true, but most of us stayed within the same job type or profession. About a decade ago I accompanied my kids to meetings at the high school for vocational counseling. These counselors informed us that the kids would change employers more than five times, and at least half of those employers would be hiring them for jobs that do not even exist now. The meaning of this aside? We need to be aware of the changed economy and get the necessary training to get and keep good paying jobs.

Of course you can only do the job if you are healthy. A report released Wednesday by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention confirms that 68 percent of adults are too heavy and 34 percent are obese. Being overweight strongly correlates to health problems, but health (and weight) is something we can do something about. It’s hard. It involves lifestyle changes; changes in eating and exercise habits.

I know if I am going to practice law as I have planned (forever if possible), I need to be in good health. I belong to the YMCA and have a personal trainer. Call me in a year. I intend to be a fraction of my current self.

Next time I am going to address some of the financial lessons from the last couple of years that can help – not only baby boomers but everyone.

[Via http://smll.wordpress.com]

Taking Stock

Ok, let’s begin with an inventory of how life has been for the last few years. I was a college dropout. Twice, if you consider the finances. I’m actually about 11 credits short of my degree.

I worked at two full time jobs for a grand total of six years with almost no break in the mix. I know, you’re asking how’d I ever do it. Honestly, it was not all that difficult really. You get used to it after a few weeks. It just becomes a boring routine that’s all.

I moved in with my other half back in 2005 and we did fairly well, but the place we lived in became a roach motel. I mean literally, we had disgusting neighbors. So we moved.

We found our current place in 2006, and for the most part has been really nice. No complaints there.

Then the disaster that is the economy took hold. I got laid off of one job in October 2007 and the other one in February 2008. For the first time, I was unemployed in my life. No worries, I thought, unemployment checks would help me out.

And they did. Along with a part time job I acquired, I was still doing all right. Bills paid, money in pocket. No problem, right?

Well I was wrong. October 2009 the unemployment dried up. I still had the same part time job. But now I couldn’t make ends meet. It was bad. And the ramen noodles routine gets old after awhile.

Oh, did I mention, my other half is now pregnant? Yep, throw another curve ball.

So now I sit beginning this new chapter called 2010 with a new outlook. Starting a new job, keeping the part time job, preparing for a baby, and trying to climb out of the hole that’s been growing for the last few months.

It’s been painful, and through this forum, maybe I can find those little cures that bring everything back to some sense of normalcy.

[Via http://moldybread.wordpress.com]

One Size Does Not Fit All...

I have spoken to many crowds on the subject of money and finance from a few intimate friends to hundreds of people, and I am always asked the question of “What’s the next hot investment?” and “Where should I put my money?”  That is a question that no properly trained investment person can answer off the cuff.  They need to know more information about where you are.  However, most people believe that there is a group of people with an all-seeing crystal ball into the future.  After years of getting this question and attempting not to give some flippant answer to the individual that makes me sound like some arrogant finance guy by saying “You don’t have enough money to get in.” Which is the truth…

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL, there are Entry level investments, Intermediate level investments, & Sophisticated level investments.  Here is the key, understanding where you are and honestly telling the truth.  Reality is, you can jump to an advanced level, no one will stop you but, you can and probably will be burned royally if you jump to the next level before your are ready.  It is akin to purchasing a 6,000 sqf house when you have apartment money.  What I will be diagramming is slow & steady or Balance Sheet management. Unfortunately, this is not talk that most people are used to.  Most people are Income statement managers, money comes in, money goes out, & only the names change.

Entry Level (Take care of Home)

The issue with most persons at the entry level is their high levels of debt compared to their low assets.  In other words, they owe (Liabilities) more than they own (Assets).  They are into Stuff accumulation not Asset accumulation.  It is possible to accumulate assets without loans.  You don’t have to have a car loan, student loan, credit cards, or mortgage.  I don’t purchase things so that I can pay someone else to use it, I purchase things so that I can own it.  Ask yourself what is more important pride of use or pride of ownership?  Now understand, I did not mention their low income, because even a person with a low income level can become wealthy with good money management, and a person with a high income will be poor if they have poor money management.  Your income does not show up on your balance sheet your habits (good or bad) do.

Simply stated to grow your balance sheet you need to Get out of Debt, Build an Emergency fund of 6-9 months of expenses, Plan retirement (15%+ of annual income)

Intermediate level (What’s your Business)

Persons at this level have “Home Taken Care of.”  These persons Create or Grow their Businesses, Practice True Tax Management Strategies, & take some calculated risk by learning new things.

Create or Grow Your Business - (See my previous post “Whats Your Business.”)  Understand the difference between getting paid 1099 versus w-2.  Most people are very familure with form W-2, the employer will automatically withhold and pay all of the necessary employee income taxes which are required by the IRS, State Income Tax, and FICA. In addition, the employer will pay all of the necessary employer taxes. Working on a 1099 basis actually means that you are working as a true Independent Contractor under the IRS rules. You work on a 1099 basis when you are self employed such as a sole proprietor or as a corporation. Your clients will report the monies they pay you to the IRS on a 1099 form. Your clients will typically contract with you to work on a specific project. You should have a written contract with each client that will outline the work you will perform, the fees an or cost the client will pay, and how the client will pay you. You will forward invoices to the client according to the contract terms.  Actual independent contractors are responsible for maintaining all business expenses and income and for making quarterly federal and state income tax payments.

Practice True Tax Management – (Time for a Paradigm shifting moment) I would much rather owe taxes at the end of the year than get a refund (You can only get a REfund when you PREfunded your taxes).  Who is more responsible in the use of your money, you or the government?  If I owe taxes that means I got to use my money in the most optimal situations that I saw fit and got to pay the government what was left.  Most people give the government all that they can and hope for a refund.  Essentially they gave the government a interest free loan for 12-15 months and the government refunded them what was left.  The optimal situation is to completely break even.  If you are filing a 1040ez or 1040a you are not at this level back up

Take some calculated risk & Learn some new things… Nuff Said… Fo Sho!!!

Sophisticated Investor (Accredited Investor)

Investopedia Says:
In order for an individual to qualify as an accredited investor, he or she must accomplish at least one of the following:

1. earn an individual income of more than $200,000 per year, or a joint income of $300,000, in each of the last two years and expect to reasonably maintain the same level of income.
2. have a net worth exceeding $1 million, either individually or jointly with his or her spouse.
3. be a general partner, executive officer, director or a related combination thereof for the issuer of a security being offered.

One Size Does Not Fit All and If you happened to get in an investment in an area that you are not ready for it can cause you much pain, strife, & frustration…

Econ for the African (aka Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla)

Book Suggestion: The Richest Man In Babalyon- George S. Clason

[Via http://omicronsigma1914.wordpress.com]

Trying to Make Lemons into Lemonade, and just getting lemon pee.

Yes, that is right, lemon pee. I thought when you squeezed the lemons you got lemonade. Nope. I was wrong. For lemonade you must have sugar, and there has been no sugar in my day.  It started out fairly normal. I didn’t want to leave my cozy bed and go out into a blustery morning, but I did. Then I looked in the mirror. Bad move. I swear I think I have furry little woodland creatures who come in and attack my head when I sleep. Surley nothing I do in bed (it’s a twin – no acrobatics here) could cause my hair to look like that! Once I brought out the chair and the whip I managed to get it tamed a bit, and I got dressed and went out the door. Once outside, I discovered a frost filled car. My heart sank. I thought it was going to warm up this week!! Aargh! So I haul out the scraper and eek out an area big enough to see to get to work.

On the way there, I managed to pump myself up a bit. I keep telling myself I was an Alpha Female Warrior and I wasnt going to let thousands of poorly scanned in documents ready for indexing get me down! Heck no! I go in, pumped and ready to take a bite out of bates numbers. I discovered when I got there, the system was down. Well tiddlywinks. (Yes tiddlywinks, lets keep it G here!) So I settled in and made myself at home as much as I could until I could work.

This afternoon went by at an absolute snails pace. In fact, I think the snail past me in the first quarter. His grandbabies passed in walkers at 4:00. I was so anxious to leave! I started playing 50 cent and Enrique Iglesias on my iPod to liven things up. I even played “Baby Got Back”. It’s a good thing the bosses didn’t come in to check on our progress, I might have been in the middle of rockin’ it out Shakira style when they came by.

As it turns out being at home isn’t even sweetening the pitcher. I recently found a full-time job (37.5 hours a week) and I was going over my bills and figuring how much I might earn on my next paycheck.  Mom walks in and when I told her what I was doing, I was promptly regaled with “You need to start looking for a full-time job”. According to her a full-time job is 40 hours with benefits. I explained that now is not the best time to look. I have only been at this job 32 days! I need to learn one job before I start looking at others. When I was applying, most positions wanted 1-2 years experience. I know she wants me to get a job with benefits, I do too, but I also need to have some credibility in my field before I start hopping around. At least let me make it to my first evaluation. Then I was promptly deemed in one of “those moods” and she walked out.

God, grant me the serenity……..

[Via http://onewithbooks.wordpress.com]

Ready for Recovery – What can HR expect in 2010?

The coming year should be better for the UK economy. But how much better – and what will be the legacy of the recession for HR? I will be attending John Philpott’s presentation that will look at the kind of jobs to expect in the recovery and to consider likely changes in the shape of the workplace in the next few years.

John Philpot is CIPD Public Policy Director & Chief Economist.

To find out more  please contact me.

Jeff Salem Chartered MCIPD
Senior Consultant, HR Practice
Mackenzie Jones

t: 020 7 131 3642
e: jeff.salem@mackenziejones.co.uk

[Via http://jeffsalemhr.wordpress.com]

Occupation: Unemployed

The worst question anyone could ask me at the moment is:

“So what do you do?”

Because in all brutal honest truth, I don’t have a job.

What I’ve gathered over these past jobless months is that people really do judge you by your occupation. A job can reveal whether you’re intelligent, creative, interesting or successful. And if you don’t have one, then quite frankly you’re considered dull.

I may not have had a steady flow of income dripping into my bank account, but I don’t think I can say that my unemployed life has been dull.

Before Christmas, my life was a whirlwind of the most curious situations imaginable.

My time was split doing three totally different tasks.

1. Interning for the SRK – helping him set up his elitist social networking site.

2. Earning money as a waitress

3. Applying, applying applying

Have these three tasks got me anywhere?…hmmm, I’m not sure, but they’ve certainly given me a panoramic view of London life!

[Via http://kklondon.wordpress.com]

Newcastle Brown Ale (and a life update)

Newcastle Brown Ale

So, under the recommendation of a few people online, I bought myself a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale. And I have to say… It’s one of the best beers I’ve ever had. Normally I stuck to more mainstream pale lagers, such as Corona Extra, Budweiser and Peroni, so was a bit cautious about trying this, and as I opened it up, the rich beer smell really hit me, and I was expecting a bitter, overpowering flavour. Nevertheless, I tried a gulp of it… And it went down like water! Yet, the flavour was there, and strong, but not overpowering by any means.

It’s fairly refreshing, although I will say you should only drink it when it’s cold, it tastes much better to me.

I’ll definitely have a pint of it at some point when I’m in the pub. I’m more of a cider guy, but for a brown ale, this is very good.

Life

Thus far, my job is going pretty well. They are much more patient with me in comparison to my old job, and already they have told me that I’m a fast learner and that they “don’t expect [me] to sell anything on [my] first saturday” (which I didn’t, but my old job expected me to start selling stuff on my first day). I also don’t have to wear a uniform, only a smart shirt, trousers and work shoes, of which I have plenty of all three from my days at Sixth Form. It brings back memories to put on those clothes again!

I’ve got work again tomorrow, but it’s only 12-2PM so it’s not too bad. I’m not in the mood to go, but the short hours make it much more bearable.

I had to walk to work in the ice, snow and below-freezing temperatures all of last week, which was not nice, tiring, and scary when, firstly, it’s hard enough to walk without falling over in the slippery ice, let alone having cars driving far too fast and skidding near you; and there’s no grit on the roads in Guernsey, I believe because of the way our water system works, it would be a disaster to get salt in the water supply. So if it’s icy, we just have to put up with it. The worst day was Saturday, the shop was almost closed, but at the last-minute I was told to make my way to work (such an annoying feeling, to have a potential day off snatched away from you!), but at least had to work an hour less due to me arriving at roughly 10AM. The weather has been better and slightly warmer since Saturday evening so hopefully I can get a lift there, as my fingers were numb for ages after my 50 minute walk to work, even while wearing gloves. This might not seem like such a novelty worthy of a long paragraph on my blog to you, but these conditions are very rare in Guernsey.

Also, I’ve been playing some Left 4 Dead 2 with my friends lately, and I have to say, it’s awesome fun. I always had a bad impression of Left 4 Dead after only really playing it single player, or with random people well above my skill level online, but now, after playing it with my friends and discovering the true purpose of the game, I take back that impression. Just like Unreal Tournament would seem relatively weak if you didn’t play it online, L4D needs to be played with a bunch of friends with your microphones on. It makes for a great gaming experience.

Finally, I’ve noticed that my music tastes have been evolving of late. More specifically, you’re more likely to find me listening to Between The Buried And Me, Lamb of God, Machine Head, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deep Purple, Dinosaur Jr., Muse and Modest Mouse, where previously I’d listen to more of Metallica, Dream Theater, Children of Bodom, Iron Maiden, Cacophony, Sonata Arctica and Franz Ferdinand.. (Not that I don’t still enjoy these bands and listen to them, just that they are taking a bit more of a back seat.)

And that’s my slightly dull life update for today. It’s roughly 2:48AM, so I’d better head to bed. More interesting updates soon, I promise!

[Via http://kolddoom.wordpress.com]

One week in

Here we are at the end of the first full week of 2010.  This year is already shaping up to be pretty decent.  I got a new job as a chess instructor for a couple hours a week, and I still have time to fill with possibly another job.  Luckily, there are actually leads for once.  I spent from last July through the end of December looking for something, anything to help pay the bills.  This chess job will be awesome and fun, but it won’t provide me enough money to get away with not getting a “day job” to go along with it.  But, it’s a new year and I’m holding out hope it’s a new job market.  Only time will tell.  But for now, we’re only one week in.

[Via http://d1ary0famadman.wordpress.com]

what we want.

It’s funny how what we want, on a smaller scale, changes. Presumably, nearly all of us ultimately want to be happy; it’s a basic thing.  But the little things, the goals we seek to accomplish on the way to that happiness, are different for all of us.  I was on the bus stop on Tuesday on my way to Starbucks, and I got into conversation with a guy who’d been waiting there for ages.  He was telling me that he had belated Christmas presents to deliver to his sister’s daughter, who lives across town. Because apparently he didn’t have much money (his brother owed him some but wasn’t paying him – bla bla) he couldn’t get what he wanted to buy, which was a pair of Timberland boots.  I get the impression that his niece was young, because he said that the following year, once she outgrew the boots, he would have had them dipped in gold (and then proceeded to tell me about how they freeze the boots in liquid nitrogen before dipping them in gold).  In my head I was furiously thinking that that was horrendously tacky (which it is), but looking at the man’s face as he was talking, he seemed so excited about the idea that it was genuinely sweet.  He really wanted it.  And if that made him happy, and it would make his niece happy, then who am I to judge his dream?

If I were to make a quick list of things that I want in the next year or so, I could go for ages and into specific minutia of jewellery, as well as vague wishes and hopes.  But concrete things that I would like, that I think are possible to achieve, and that would help me on the way to “happiness”, would be:

• A good, decent boyfriend for whom I can wake up enough to appreciate him.
• Passing my driving test and getting a car.
• Finishing my careers guidance course and getting a job that enables me to have my own place.

I think that’s it really! Although sometimes I focus so much on these things that it feels like nothing that I have is ever enough, I appreciate that I have some really fantastic friends (it took me long enough to acquire them but in the last year alone, I’ve made three or four new bffs!), I am sorta good-looking and I lost plenty of weight so that apart from when I am having a little crisis, I know I am not fat.  I have nice things, including designer jewellery, decent technology and a wardrobe with which I am satisfied.  I have a pretty good singing voice, and the ability to make my own music and for that I am blessed, because even if it’s not on a grand scale, I have the tools to realise my own dreams.  And as you know, I finally got my tattoo!  None of this precludes me from wanting to improve or revolutionise all of these aspects of myself, but as things stand now, I am satisfied and I have made progress. My dissatisfaction just comes from a desire to keep moving and growing!  But in terms of goals, I only have those three main ones I listed at the top.

Mike told me that more than anything right now, he wants to move away from central Bristol to somewhere a little quieter, with more green space.  I can’t understand it myself because I’m the total opposite, but then he has a wife and child, he’s had a different upbringing, and so he has different things that will make him happy.  It’s really important to him in the next few months to achieve his dream.  I have a friend who is hoping to be successful in his new job application, another who wants to do really well in her finals at university, and one more who is on the next step to realising her dream of becoming a doctor – a journey which has taken her a really long time.  I admire everyone who has goals, because I think it’s goals that make us get up in the morning, work that little bit harder and keep it moving.  Looking at my parents, a generation older than me, and I don’t know if this is because relations between us are kinda tenuous at the moment, but I couldn’t tell you what they want.  I mean, they have done well for themselves in life, but I can’t imagine that at 50 years old, you suddenly just become satisfied with everything you have.  Isn’t it part of the human condition to always want something?  Again, by that, I think we all want to be happy ultimately, and we don’t stop on the quest for that happiness – but doesn’t everyone want at least one thing that puts them that bit closer to being happy?  I can’t imagine that changing with age… I hope that although I can always appreciate what I have, that I never feel completely satisfied… to me, that is a kind of complacency and I always want to be striving for more, for better, to be the best that I can be.  Tyler Durden in Fight Club said that that was a form of masturbation; the Army uses it as their motto; but I really want to be the best.  Not by anyone else’s criteria, but by my own – an even taller order.  Game on.

[Via http://iamchase.wordpress.com]

My Lines, My Lines!

This weekend I’ll be creating a timeline for the writing of Anything But Ordinary: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives. My research phase is coming to a close and that means its time to get dirty. I’ve been told that having a workable and realistic timeline for a project like ours is essential to the organization and creative process, otherwise it will be in a constant state of limbo. Normally I wouldn’t be so emphatic about a schedule, but I’m working on a team. As a co-author, I must put aside my usual creative madness.

Assuming most writers/creative people are, I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of  person. Oh, you know people like me? They frustrate and annoy you, you say? Well talk to my mother because you have NO idea! I have to give her kudos for attempting to keep up with my 500 thoughts per second insanity. I try to keep it harnessed, but…wait, what was I saying? See, frustrating!

In all seriousness, there is a reason that Mike and I want to get the book into the hands of our readers as soon as possible. Our message is relevant. Also, the film, which has garnered some pretty incredible buzz, has created fans who are anxiously anticipating the book. As a matter of fact, Mike discussed the book on World Talk Radio’s program, Breaking the Limits!: Your Past Does Not Dictate Your Future with host Lyca Shan back in December. Check out his interview at http://www.voiceamerica.com/worldtalkradio/vepisode.aspx?aid=43090.

As the Anything But Ordinary team receives  requests for screenings, speaking engagements, etc., it is important that the book be one of the things we discuss, which means we have to have a book! And if we don’t have the book right at that moment, we need give our readers an update on our book’s development. Having a timeline will satisfy this need, and also keep me and Mike on task. By the way, Mike is reading this post and nodding his head thinking, “Yes, would you please get me that schedule!” That’s one of the perks of working with someone I know so well. I literally hear his voice in my head!

~tbk

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Public Service, That's How I Roll

As the owner of a professional writing service, I am occasionally contacted by individuals who need to compose letters for various reasons. Last week I received one of these calls.

The woman who contacted me was denied unemployment benefits and is trying desperately not to turn into one of the casualties of a flailing state economy. From what she told me on the phone, she held a full-time position with a retail chain, and when her hours were cut below a 40 hour work week, sought a part-time job to supplement her income. It seems the woman was attempting to work her part-time hours around her full-time schedule. As time went on, her boss for the part-time stint let her go, explaining that they couldn’t work around her full-time schedule any longer. Shortly after, the woman lost her full-time position as well. Needless to say, she was devastated. Like Millions of others around our country, she headed to the unemployment line.

The reason she contacted me, she said, is that she was denied benefits because of a $326 dispute on the end of the part-time employer. Upon her initial denial, the woman appealed, and a second judgment was eventually reached: Denied!  Without knowing this woman personally, I can’t vouch for her on a personal level, but the simple fact that she was holding two jobs simultaneously to make ends meet gives me a good insight as to her work ethic. And although I am unable to reverse the judgment and help her financially, I can help her articulate her feelings and tell her story.

The woman, after completion of the letter, is planning to send it to a host of Michigan newspapers, news stations, and her state government officials. Although I’m sure she doesn’t expect that the letter will reverse her unemployment decision, the woman feels strongly about letting taxpayers and others know that honest, hardworking people are being denied benefits, thus adding them to the group of citizens who can’t afford their homes, default on credit cards, and can’t put food on the table.

As someone who possesses the gift of words and creating power from words, it moves me deeply to be able to give this woman a platform, to allow her voice to be heard. THIS is why I left Corporate America! The work I do through my business, Write Creations, matters. That’s right, it MATTERS. The best part, as a business owner with virtually no overhead, is that I can provide support for this woman free of charge.  Today, I will listen as she recounts her painful experience, her disillusionment with the system, and through the power of the pen, help her work towards closure.

This woman is why I do what I do.

~tbk

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