My How The Times Have Changed

For the past 4 months I have been back in PA looking for a job.  I am a certified Art teacher, from Kindergarten to 12 grade.  When I was in Arizona for 2 years I taught art to 7-10^th graders.  The 2 years before that I was getting my teaching certification from Arcadia and working at my Dads chiropractic office.  I have worked in a Bicycle shop for the summer before college.  I worked at an Italian market each summer and winter break during college and I also worked at a clothing store while at college.  I then moved home and was a Nanny for a while, worked at a before and after school program, then in an office setting.  Like many others, I’ve had a lot of random jobs.  It seems to be the trend these days.

The way I got those past jobs was because I knew someone who could put in a good word for me.  I was just happy to be making some money while going to school.  And knowing the right people helped.  It seems like these days, trying to get a teaching job, knowing the right person will give you a step ahead.  Well that’s what everyone tells me.  I actually know a lot of people in different school districts.  But here I am, not teaching, no matter my past experience, all the extra curriculum activities I helped with, all of the hard work and determination.  Now don’t get me wrong I love working at my Dads office.  I enjoy what I do there and of course I do enjoy working for my boss.

So for the past 4 months I have been applying to every job that I think I am qualified for.  Teaching, office work and even retail.  I have yet to find anything full time.  That is what I want so badly.  I have so many people come into the office complaining that summer is over and they have to start teaching again, or that their days are so long at the office, or that they are so busy at work they feel like they have no time to do anything else.  When they say this I just smile.  They don’t know how much I am yearning inside to be in there place.  Teaching full time again after a summer break, or working long hours at a job that is a perfect fit for me or being so busy with something I love.  I want that back.

That, I don’t think has changed with many people.  There are so many unemployed people right now it’s sad.  Sad that there are people out there that want to work, to contribute to society, to wake up every day and go to some sort of job.  The unemployment rate is at 9.1%.  That may seem low but that means that there are 14 million people without a job.

What has changed is the way that people are getting jobs and marketing themselves.  Blogs were started in December 1997, LinkedIn was launched May 2003, Facebook was created in February of 2004, Twitter was created in March of 2006 and Tumblr was created in 2007.  All of these networks, whether they are social, professional or both, have become the way to show case who you are.  I am not saying this is a bad thing by any means, just very different then what it was 10 years ago.  You used to have to mail in or walk in your resume.  You would be able to get a interview to even be considered for the job.  Things seemed to be more personal, face to face.  I am on all but one of those above mentioned sites.  I was against it at first.  I did not jump on the Facebook band wagon until 2006.  I am slowly but surly expanding my web base.  I like the challenge of creating something new on something that everyone is on.  I want someone to read my blog and get an idea for something, read a Tweet and laugh out loud, see a picture on Facebook from a great day or find a work connection to advance their career on LinkedIn.

So, times have changed.  Are they for the better?  Have they made meetings less personal or more informative?  What will be the next Twitter, Facebook, Blog, LinkedIn or Tumblr?  A site that gives you all in one.  Only time, and the innovations of yourself and others, will tell.

Starting my old/new life

I title this post old/new because of where I am right now.  I am back to where I started, where I grew up.  This is not at all a bad thing.  There have been many things in my life, may adventures that have brought me back here.  I lived in London for two months and fell in love with the people and the city.  I then packed up my life, packed it all in my Xterra, and moved to Arizona.  I only knew one person there and really had no idea where my school was.  I just knew that I wanted to experience something new and different.  Different then the life I had known in Jamison.  New, where no one knew me, where I started over.  Two years went by.  I met some pretty amazing people that I will cherish forever.  I got the experience I needed to succeed here in my teaching career.  I honestly had so much fun.

But a part of me was still back east, back at home.  Any one who knows me knows that my family and I are extremely close.  The ease that I feel at my parents’ house is like none other.  No matter where I have lived I have always felt like this was home, this was where I have always belonged.

So here I am back in Jamison, living at home and working for my Dad.  Don’t get me wrong I love working for my Dad, I know all the ins and outs of his office.  We work well together.  But I know I need to be teaching, I want to be teaching.

So my mission now is to find a job.  I have applied to as many places as I can.  I’m working my butt off.  This is just a very horrible time to be looking for a job.  People ask me why I moved here if I had a job in Arizona.  My answer is because I missed the east coast, family and friends.  Everyone out there reading this throw out good vibes for me.  I need all the help I can get.

Congrats Steph and Rob!!

So after 7 years of dating Rob finally asked Steph to marry him.  I am so freakin’ happy for them both.  He actually told me, at the end of March, he was going to ask her.  He even had an amazing ring picked out.  Yes he texted me and I approved it.  So he bought the perfect ring.  Next he was going to ask my Dad.  Rob and my Dad went to a basketball game one night, while they were stuck in traffic on 95 after the game, Rob finally asked.  My Dad later told me he was just so happy for them both.  That he believed Rob was a perfect man for my sister.  Then when they got home Rob asked my Mum.  Of course she was happy.  Then they all talked.  Rob asked questions about how my Dad asked my Mum and about their wedding.  Of course they weren’t supposed to say anything so it would be a surprise to Steph.  Well all of you who know my Mum she was too excited and she called me the second Rob walked out the door.  I laughed because I had known before her.

Rob was going to ask Steph soon after all of this.  I kind of suggested that he wait until I get home.  I know that was selfish of me but I was excited to see all of that.  She is after all like my twin.  He said he was going to wait.  But he was so excited he couldn’t hold it in anymore.  So he asked her tonight.  Its funny how it happened and so typical of them.  Steph and Rob went to the store to grab something for dinner.  Steph of course got a salad and Rob I’m not sure what.  Steph drove because Rob had a few beers while playing Playstation all day.  Steph of course was already in her Pj’s.  I mean come on that is the first thing that the Latronica’s do as soon as they get home from work.  So Steph is in her Pj’s mixing up her salad, Rob comes in and asks Steph, “You know I love you right”?  She said, “Oh man what happened”?  That’s when he knelt down on one knee and asked her to marry him.  I love that she was in her Pj’s and he did it in their kitchen.  I love the both of them so much.

Its interesting though because just the other day Steph and I were talking and she could not stop staying how great a guy he was.  The whole time she was talking I just wanted to blurt out that he was going to ask her.  Instead I let her talk about how amazing he is and I got teary eyed on the other end.  I had always known they would end up together.  But right then and there I knew that they would last forever.

Why are gas prices so high?

So this is something that is probably on everyone’s minds.  I mean how can you not think about something like this when gas is over 4 bucks a gallon in some places.  Thankfully it hasn’t gotten that high here in Arizona. 

I recently took a trip to San Diego for the weekend with a friend of mine.  The drive there takes us through Yuma, which is the last city before we crossed over to California.  Luckily we filled the car at $3.79 a gallon before crossing the border.  An hour from Yuma at the next gas station the cost jumped to $4.49 a gallon.  I understand that it is in a different state but that is a major jump.  My friend and I were able to stay at another friend’s house and we were driving a Prius, so we actually had a full weekend at about $100 each.  We lucked out.

The reason why I have been thinking about this so much is because I will be driving home in June.  Of course I will be driving my Xterra that gets about 275 miles to each tank (sad I know).  At $3.79 it cost about $65 to fill my car.  Now that is the best price I am going to see throughout the entire trip.  It will most likely get to around $4.50 a gallon or more.  The trip from Arizona to Pennsylvania is about 3,000 miles.  I have done the math so many times, but it still makes my head spin every time.  The math shows that I will be filling up my car about 11 times.  So that’s 11 times an average of $70 coming to at least $770.  That is so crazy to me that I will be spending that much in gas, in 1 week.  Now that’s just gas money.  I still have to ship my entire room home through U-Haul.  That comes to about $1,400, and that’s the cheapest I found.  Fortunately we are staying with friends all but 2 of the nights and my wonderful older sister is paying for the hotel in New Orleans.  Then there is money for food.  All of you that know me know that I do like to eat.  Since we will be in 2 new cities I will be eating everything those cities are known for, I just can’t help it.  So my grand total will come to $2,170 + food money.  I know I’m throwing a lot of $ signs at you, but wow I think I may faint every time I calculate that out.  And the amount always seems to rise because gas prices are rising.

So tell me again why I am leaving a guaranteed job here, spending that money and moving home.  Oh yeah that’s right.  All my amazing friends and family at home.  Have a mentioned before how utterly happy I am about moving back home?  I think I did maybe once : )

I mean I can complain all I want about gas prices but what good will that do me.  I just have to deal and pay the money.  Even though this is a large cost out of my pocket, it’s totally worth it.

Oh and by the way, update from the last post.  My girls won the championship.  We are officially ranked number 1 in the state of Arizona.  That is a great feeling and I am so proud of my girls.  Now what would make it so much better would be a bonus.  Don’t the Super Bowl Champs earn extra money when they win?

Finding a Job in PA

I know its been awhile.  I could say that I've been too busy to write but that isn’t exactly true.  It really doesn’t take that much time to type out what is going on in my head.  But the project that I have been working on a lot this past week is trying to find a job in PA.  I’m moving back at the end of this month.  I do get paid through July because of my contract.  But I need to find something.  Finding a job in art is one of the hardest subjects to find a job in.  There are school districts back at home laying people off.  And I’m the crazy person leaving a job here to move home.

All things happen for a reason though.  The art department at the school I'm at now, teaching 6 classes every day is planning on going down to 1 or 2.  My job is getting smaller.  So maybe it is a perfect time to move on.  Don’t get me wrong I am going to miss the people here so unbelievable bad but I know that I will always have them in my life.

So as for a job in PA.  I have been applying everywhere.  I did have a phone interview on Friday with a charter school in Philly.  It was just a first round but I definitely rocked it!  I was also sweating bullets the entire time.  I just hope things work out.  I wont be paying rent after this month so things will be a bit easier.  Yes I am moving back in with my parents. I mean why not, no rent, great meals prepared by my mum and of course having my dogs around again.

One of my jobs right now is helping coach my girls’ softball championship game.  It will by far be the toughest game they have played yet, but they kick butt.  As for a job in PA, I’m applying everywhere and keeping my fingers crossed.

Be Happy

Hi all. I know I haven’t written here in a while but I’m trying to actually succeed with my first resolution. Not to procrastinate. I have been working hard to stay on top of things at work, maybe even getting things done a week ahead of time. I have also been trying to figure out what to write about next. I have this entire list of resolutions that I want to work on to better myself.

I have just talked to someone that I care deeply about. He is having a real difficult time with everything in his life and having trouble figuring out what to do to fix it. He is at the point where no matter how much love we throw out at him or how much advice we give him he is stuck. I want to be there so bad for him. But I am in AZ while he is in PA. The thing is, I’ve been there. It was many years ago, when I was a senior in high school. I had lost someone I thought I loved, lost my place on the volleyball team and I felt like everything was going wrong. I was down about 6 pant sizes then I am now, and about 30lbs thinner. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what it was so I felt like I couldn’t fix it. I stopped eating mostly because I wasn’t hungry. My mind was always on other things that just spiraled out of control. But I got through things. I was able to talk to someone that was unbiased. I was able to say whatever I needed to say to get things out of my head. Don’t get me wrong family and friends did absolutely help. I was surrounded by love and happiness and people willing to help me in any way. Help me get out of the house and have fun or just be there with me. The things I used to get me out of that depression, I try to use every day. I try and hold onto the simple things to keep me going, keep me happy.

That’s what I try to focus on the most. What will make me happy in my life, then I surround myself with that. Lately I have been so super stressed about work and my move back home. It was so bad right after Christmas break that I had ribs coming out of place in my back. Crazy I know. My Chiropractor told me that I was too stressed. He said that I tried to have an F it attitude with the rest of this semester but I am the type of person that cant just let things go and I still work my butt off. So that contrast put my entire being out of place. He then told me that I need to start getting out and seeing the state. I need to see the beauty of Arizona before I move back to the east coast. So I am trying to do just that. I have researched where I can go on day trips, even if they are by myself.

Luckily I get a bit of home this weekend. I have a great friend visiting for the weekend. Then my parents will be visiting. And between those visits I plan to get out of town. I also try to focus on all the good things in my life. I have a job that pays me well and is giving me great experience. I have the most amazing friends here. They have always supported me with everything. They will be the reason why I cry so hard when I leave here. The weather is also finally getting hot. I mean most people reading this will think, you live in Arizona its always warm. But last weekend it was finally bathing suit weather. Lying by the pool, getting a tan and reading has always made me happy. Then there is my family. Not matter what decisions I have made or where I have moved they have always and I know will always be there for me. I can not go more then a few days without calling one of them. That is happiness. I just want to make sure I grab onto that and never let it go.

So I just posted about patients.  I used my own advice today.  Ashley and I were at an IHOP for breakfast today.  Most of the time you will wait for about 15 minutes, order and then get your food right away.  This place definitely has fast service.  Well today Ash and I waited for 30 minutes before we got our food.  We weren’t paying attention because we were talking so the wait didn’t feel like a half an hour.  We of course did not complain because it was busy and it was no ones fault.  So once our food got to us the manager came over, apologized for the long wait then told us our meal was on him today.  So because we were both patient and kind we got a free meal.  I have to say that it’s Karma.  We were kind to those people serving us and we received something in return.  Now why can’t everyone believe in this?

Patience is a Virtue

Life resolution number 2, being more patient. 

I need to seriously be more patient in every aspect of my life.  When I am driving on the roads of Arizona I get so frustrated.  Practically everyone in this state is a transplant so everyone has learned how to drive in different states.  On the east coast you drive on the right and pass on the left.  Here, people drive 10 under the speed limit in the left lane directly next to the person in the right lane.  And of course this always happens when I’m in a rush or when I’m late.  I know something like this will never change so I just have to face the facts and not let those bad drivers make me mad.

But being patient isn’t just about when I’m on the road.  I need to be patient with the people around me.  I work with great people that are always willing to help me out.  The worst thing I could do is snap at them because I’m getting frustrated about something stupid.  Those of you who know me, it happens too often.  I also have amazing family and friends.  My older sister is the one that tells me when I’m being a b**ch and I need to apologize to whomever I was being rude to.  But really I’m how old now, I need to just stop being a b**ch to people that care about me.

So to actually try and be more patient I need to just let things roll of my shoulders.  I need to not let the little things bother me.  If a person is driving at a snails pace and I have somewhere to be, being late is not the worst thing that could happen in my life.  I need to live that fact.  I also need to show it.  If I can live it and show it then my life would be a lot less stressful.  I need to be able to enjoy what I have when I have it.

All good things come to those who wait

Why a blog?

I originally decided to create this blog to do something different this year.  Perhaps new is a better word for it since there are so many other blogs out there; I wanted to do something new this year.  I feel like I'm stuck in a rut of sorts when it comes to my own art so I thought that maybe this could be a good outlet for me.  It’s ironic though because writing is probably one of my worst attributes.  I am slightly dyslexic and during elementary school I always dreaded the weekly spelling tests.  I have come a long way though, I almost have my Masters in Education so the spelling issues never held me back.  I wouldn't want a spelling problem to hold me back from doing this either, that's what spell check is for, right?

So this blog is going to be about life resolutions, hence the name.  I was thinking about starting the New Year with New Year’s resolutions but then I thought why do people make resolutions that are only for this year.  Why can't I make some resolutions for the rest of my life?  Resolutions that will ultimately better my life and me as a person.  They are goals for me; things that I need to start this year and bring with me through my life.

My first resolution is to not procrastinate so much.  As you can see, I have already procrastinated on starting this blog.  I came up with the idea of the blog about a week before the New Year and wanted to start it on the 1st.  But it is now the 11th of January and I am finally writing my first post.  So this is something I most definitely have to work on.  Even though I do procrastinate with aspects of my life, I always get things done on time.  I do write many to do lists but I complete them last minute.  I want to utilize my to-do lists, with due dates, to complete my tasks.  Let's see if I can accomplish this goal in the next few months so I can make my life a little less stressful.

I hope to post something new at least once a week.  I am sure my life won't get too hectic to do this but we'll see.  I also want anyone reading my blog to leave comments or make suggestions.  I do take criticism well but be gentle.

Up next is my complied list of Life Resolutions.  If you have any ideas I would love to hear them.