New Years Resolutions

Every year I make resolutions and sometimes I keep them but more often than not I don't so to help me stick to it I thought I would put my resolutions on this blog. We'll see how well that works...

I'll start off with the ones that seem to keep making it back onto my list year after year:


1- Get into better shape. I would like to be able to finally run that 5K with my brother and I'm determined to make it happen this year! I would also like to be able to go on a bike ride with him and not have to stop every five feet!


2- Along with getting into shape, I need to lose the extra weight I've put on. I'm officially the heaviest I've ever been and not proud of that fact... My BMI is over 25 now which means I'm considered overweight so don't bother telling me I look fine.


3- Give up the diet soda! Or at least the vast majority of it! I have pretty much lived off of it for the last 5 years and it's disgusting! I finally figured out a couple of months ago that my favorite (diet Dr Pepper) was causing little sores on the roof of my mouth. They wouldn't happen all the time but probably at least once a month. I switched to Coke Zero and have not had the same problem but I want to get off of all of it!

And here are some that are new to the list but maybe should have made it onto previous years:

1- Get out of debt! I've put far too much on my credit card and then paid the minimum due for way too long. It ends now. I'm going to start paying the amount I paid in rent to all of my bills and they should be paid off by the end of the year (hopefully sooner with a good tax return since I didn't work for a lot of the year).

2- Go to grad school! I need to finish my application(s) and I plan to do that this month (January).

3- Finish the Harry Potter series by the time that last movie comes out (July). I have the first three read and have just started the fourth. They keep getting longer and longer though which is intimidating...

4- Go to bed at a decent hour (at least before midnight). When I didn't have a job I would stay up all night and then sleep through the afternoon and I think my body is still kind of wanting that pattern. I don't even have to be to work until 9:15 and I'm still constantly exhausted! I can't even watch a TV show or movie at night without falling asleep. My goal is to start being ready for bed at 11:00.

That's all I can think of for right now. This looks like a pretty good list and hopefully by the end of the year I can say I've finally accomplished everything.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Time for another rant...

Not too much has changed recently but I did have another interview this last week. It didn't go super well so if they don't hire me I won't be too surprised. I did just get a second job as an on-call health screener doing health assessments which I did for my internship in school so hopefully that will give me a little more experience and help me down the road.

I'm now at a point of trying to determine what to do next. Do I keep applying to job after job and going to interview after interview only to be rejected time and time again? How much rejection can one person handle? Do I go back to school and major in something that I find interesting but maybe doesn't have the best job outlook right now but hope that in two years things will have turned around? Or do I pick a different career field that I might not like as much but you can always get a job in? I'm literally at an impasse here and need to make a decision quick or else it will be made for me and I don't necessarily like that option. I just wish somebody would tell me what to do and make it possible for me to do so at the same time. Being an adult is not all it's cracked up to be!

There's my rant for the job outlook and here's my rant on something else that's bothering me:

What happened to female camaraderie? I was always taught that if your friend is dating someone, then you shouldn't turn around and try to date that same person. I realize there is no rule set in stone on this but I find it shocking (and disgusting!) how some people just disregard the feelings of others.

And the final rant (although it's not totally a rant I guess, just something that is bothering me):

I feel like Denver is haunting me. I know that sounds strange but lately things have been reminding me of Denver. A couple of weeks ago I went with a group of "friends" (okay they are my friends I'm just annoyed with a couple of them, see above paragraph) to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. We decided Trax would be the best way to get to and from downtown (WRONG!) so as we were waiting at the platform on Main Street I looked across the street and saw somebody who was in my ward in Denver. I couldn't speak to him since he was across the street obviously but I think this messed with my head a little since I've had a dream practically every night about moving back to Denver. I look back on my time there fondly now but as I read some of the things I've written while living there or just take the time to really think about it, my time there was not the happiest I've ever been. Time to look forward and not back! And on a side note, I remember why I moved to Denver in the first place: the men! No offense to the men in my current ward, but not one of them can hold a candle to this guy! Oh well, I guess I missed my chance yet again...

I do feel a little better now. Thanks for bearing with me (if anyone actually reads this)!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

I have seen this on a couple of other people's blogs and thought I'd give it a try.

The Good

I have finally started to fill out my grad school application. I was planning to only apply to one school (USC) but I may apply to more than one. One problem I'm running into is not having the proper pre-requisites...

The Bad

No new news on the job front. I am having trouble even finding things to apply for.

The Ugly

As I mentioned in my previous post I was having some sort of ailment. I thought I had gotten somewhat better by Saturday, October 23rd. So when my cousin and her family came down from Brigham City, I went with them and my mom to Witches Night Out at Gardner Village. I was fine while we there, although still somewhat nauseous and didn't want to eat a whole lot (I actually asked about soups at dinner and I don't really like soup). We left there at about 11:00 and my mom wanted to go to the store. As soon as we get to the store, my ear started to hurt. It wasn't too bad at this point but enough to be annoying. About an hour and a half after this, it starts to get really painful. I couldn't believe how much it hurt! I was actually smacking my head to see if I could get some of the fluid out to relieve the pressure. Well about two hours after it started hurting, I heard a popping noise and fluid suddenly was fizzing out of my ear. I then threw up again and my ear started ringing. It was about 2 in the morning at this point and I wasn't totally sure what had happened or what to do about it so I went to bed (I was also somewhat drugged at this point since I had taken NyQuil earlier to knock myself out so I wouldn't be in pain anymore). I had dropped my phone somewhere the night before and couldn't find it (I couldn't bare to bend over since I was still in a lot of pain) so I didn't set my alarm to wake up for regional conference. My alarm went off at my Saturday wake up time (10 or 11) and I got up and couldn't hear out of my left ear at all. I decided to look up ruptured ear drum on the internet and had all the symptoms of it. I waited for my parents to come home and told them about what had happened and they both said my ear drum had ruptured. So off to the urgent care I went which I had avoided all that week since I don't have any health insurance. This urgent care has a deal where if you're uninsured they will charge you a flat fee of $99 so it was probably better than going to a Dr's office and definitely better than going to the ER. So I go in and tell her what's been going on all week and she gives me a look like I should have gone in earlier (sore throat for a week and vomiting without cold symptoms). I asked her if I should have gone in and she was kind of wishy washy but offered to test me for strep but as I was getting an oral antibiotic (as well as an ear drop) I didn't feel it was necessary. My soar throat went away a day or two after taking the anti-biotic so I'm pretty sure I had strep. You've got to love working with little kids! So this whole adventure cost me $170 for the urgent care and two prescriptions.

Today was my first antibiotic free day and my ear still feels weird but I think I'm definitely on the upswing of it.

On a side note, I was Snow White for Halloween and dyed my hair black temporarily. It's washed out into a dark brown which I'm kind of enjoying so I may dye it this color permanently (dark brown). Here is a pic of my MJ from Thriller pumpkin (this will definitely become a tradition of mine), my whole costume, and then a closer one of my face:

Little different

After my last blog post, I had decided to start trying to post something once a week. Haha, see how well that one worked out... I don't have anything super exciting to post on the job front. I did have another interview last week and apparently it didn't go very well either since I haven't heard back. This was a job I never actually applied for but another opening from my last interview became available and they called and asked me to come back in. I haven't been as good about applying for things lately but I did just enroll in the University of Utah's career services so hopefully that will help me. I do enjoy some of the children I work with but about a week after starting to work there, I picked up a cold and currently I have some other illness (sore throat, vomiting, some body aches, and a little congestion). I really hate being sick and I don't know that I can handle having some sort of ailment every other day.

Now for the different part. I have seen a couple of posts on other people's blogs about their top ten favorite things that aren't people. I thought I would give this a try for something different and to fill a blog ;) These are in no particular order:

1: My lap top. I don't know what I would have done in Denver without it. First while living with the crazy lady, it helped me keep my sanity sometimes. Then while living in my apartment and not picking up ABC or NBC so that I could still watch LOST, Chuck, The Office, and 30 Rock. Being able to use Google Maps/Mapquest to navigate my way through Denver. And finally while not having a job for about 6 months I was able to look for a new one and keep myself entertained.

2: My car. Despite the fact that it is now 12 years old, it's still in pretty good condition. While driving back and forth between here and Denver, I was never worried that my car would break down... And it never did.

3: The Hunger Games Series. I know, it's the big trend right now but I LOVED it! My mom talked me into reading them after a quick trip home over Memorial Day and I read the first two within about a week. When the 3rd book came out I finished it in two days. LOVED LOVED LOVED it! I have been reading a lot while not having a job and even though there were several other books I have quite enjoyed, none as much as the Hunger Games. (I'm currently on the 2nd Harry Potter and thought I would read all of them but I don't know that I'll make it. I'm having a hard time reading a book that I already know what happens...)

4: Diet Dr Pepper. This is a love/hate relationship for sure. I definitely hate to love it!

5: My collection of the Simpson's on DVD. I own all the seasons up through 12 and hope to own 13 soon since it's now been released and has my all time favorite episode! It just seems like a frivolous purchase to me right now.

6: My iPod. Even though I have a first generation Nano and it's almost full, I love being able to only purchase and listen to what I want instead of dealing with buying a CD for only one song.

7: The New York Yankees. I realize this might be breaking the rules a little bit since it consists of people but I do love them.

8: My camera. I love to take pictures. I have kind of stopped doing it since I lost my old camera last year and have been too paranoid about losing my current camera. But I still enjoy it!

9: Knitting. I hope to get better and branch out in my projects since all I've done is baby blankets, and two of the same kind at that. I might try to make myself a sweater but we'll see how that goes.

10: Nyquil. This may seem like a weird thing but as I mentioned earlier I am currently sick and Nyquil has been the only way I've been able to sleep at night. I make sure I always have it on hand now since I got colds a lot in Denver and it appears as that will be the trend this year...

Okay so my list is not as thought-filled as the others I read but this is harder than it seems!

Here is a pic I took at the gates of Neverland Ranch since I listed my camera as one of my favorite things:

Full Circle

So to start this post off, I think I need to do a little explaining. When I was two years old, my mom started working for a daycare as their cook. She eventually worked her way up to being a teacher and finally a director. I went with her every day through kindergarten and then went for a few summers after that when I decided I didn't want to do it anymore. Eventually when my mom had my little brother, they needed someone to stay with him after the babyroom closed since she had to stay for an hour after that. So they paid me $2.00 an hour to sit with him until it was time to leave. After he turned two, I would go out and clean after school. I did this off and on until I was 16 when my Mom left. She was gone for about 5 years working elsewhere and when she lost her job, they asked her to come back to the daycare (now under new ownership).

Almost a month to the day after moving back, one of the centers needed somebody so she called and asked me if I wanted to do it. Since my parents had paid my most of my bills that month, I felt I couldn't say no, even though it's not my dream job. So I have been working mostly part time at the daycare. It hasn't been too bad since I'm mostly in with the babies, although when all of them start crying at the same time, it can be stressful! It doesn't pay well though so I am still looking for another job.

I've had two interviews since being back and the first one went well but they didn't hire me and I haven't heard back from the second one yet. I've decided to start working on my grad school applications in the mean time. And also to work out again. After I started experiencing knee pain I stopped working out all together but would like to start again and maybe run a 5k on Thanksgiving. That's me for now!

Back in the saddle again!

Quite a bit has happened since I last posted... I made it back to Salt Lake on July 29th which was kind of sketchy but I made it safe and sound, along with most of my stuff, though I must admit some did have to be thrown away since it just wouldn't fit in my little car. Although after arriving and finding some of the stuff that made it on my "keep list", I can't believe some of my decisions! (seriously, does one person need three boxes of towels? The answer is NO! Meanwhile I threw away one of my favorite bowls and two of my water bottles which would have taken up less space than all of these towels!!!)

The next day, we went up to Idaho where my brother was competing in the Spudman Triathlon. I couldn't believe people would voluntarily put themselves through that but I guess it would be nice to be in that kind of shape. It did inspire me to start working out and hopefully will be able to run a 5K either at the end of September or beginning of October.

Since all of my stuff couldn't fit into my room anymore, the dejunking began... HOLY COW! I can't believe the stuff I've held onto all of these years! Moving so many times has given me a new perspective on keeping junk... If you aren't using it, then it gets thrown away. I have even taken over some of the bedroom next door which was my little brother's old room, but now just houses his (and more recently my) stuff. Here are a couple of pics of my room and one of the room next door: It's gotten better since these were taken but still not quite there yet... Hopefully I can get to the point where I don't have clutter all over. I may just start throwing everything away!




I went to dinner with some friends from elementary school two weeks after I got back. It was fun to see everyone again and hear what they're up to. Everyone looks exactly the same (a little older though of course).

Last week I went with my parents and little brother to California to see my brother and his family. We stayed for almost a week and had a great time! Some of the highlights were going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, visiting Solvang which is the Danish capital of America (our ancestry on my paternal Grandfather's side is from Denmark, hence my last name), finding Neverland Ranch, former home of Michael Jackson (you can't yet go inside so we just found the gates. Hopefully soon they will turn it into a museum or something), and playing on the beach. Of course we enjoyed their company as well. Here are a couple of pics of the trip:






Still no job but have heard of a couple of possibilities. Hopefully something will work out soon! I'm going to try and start studying for the GRE again and apply for grad schools for next fall. I didn't realize getting into grad school was such a process but I guess they want you to take it seriously!

As a side note, I actually miss Denver a little and will especially miss the Broncos! I went to two of their games last year and they're so much fun (albeit, expensive and one time really cold)! So since I needed a new background and couldn't find another one that I really liked, I chose this one. Go Broncos!

Foiled again!

Well once again my next great idea has been foiled! I seriously wish I never would have seen a gynecologist! Endometriosis shouldn't exclude me from so many things! I understand for some women it's excruciating but it isn't for me! When my Dr first told me she thought I had it, I had to refrain from laughing because I am never in that much pain. Unfortunately she was right... It's not just the endometriosis though, the ovarian cyst is also a deal breaker (which I feel is caused by the endometriosis, though my Dr felt differently). I hate being a woman sometimes...

The Decision

Well I guess it's not really a decision more of the only thing I can do... Since I know there are several of you out there losing sleep at night wondering what I am going to be doing... I am moving back home with my parents. Not something I really want to do but that's really the only option at this point since I'm completely out of money. Meanwhile the "economic recovery" seems to be slowing... Life just gets better and better doesn't it?

July= Do or Die

So begins July, which I am calling my do or die month. July 31st is when our lease is up so I have until then to either find a job or move back home... It's everyone's dream to move back in with their parents when they're 26 right? Remember when having a bachelor's degree was an accomplishment and meant you could find a job that didn't pay minimum wage? Well I don't quite remember that but I'm told it was once the case.

The newest job report published by the government is not making things look any better. Here is a summary by the AP: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNiyJ905Ho0Ur96V2TQhsBX19lGwD9GN34I80

Some points from the article to consider:

-Employers cut 125,000 jobs last month, the most since October

-Unemployment dropped to 9.5 percent — the lowest level since July 2009 — from 9.7 percent. But the reason for the decline was more than 650,000 people gave up on their job searches and left the labor force.

-The nation still has 7.9 million fewer private payroll jobs than it did when the recession began. The private sector has added an average of 98,000 jobs per month since the beginning of the year. At that rate, it would take nearly seven years to regain the jobs lost during the recession.

So, any eligible men with good jobs out there that want to get married?

And this has nothing to do with the job stuff but I thought I'd wish my mom a happy birthday today! Here is a picture of us when I went home last July for the family reunion.

Tip of the day take 2

So my last tip of the day was about skipping job fairs at universities... Well I'm beginning to think it might be better to skip them all together. I went to two this week and all I have to show for it is soar feet! Maybe something will happen, who knows but I can't believe the number of people at each one which makes my odds of standing out decrease significantly. Starting to look again at more temp work...

June update

The temp job is over now, well at least the regularity of it. The grave yard shift was starting to kill me although I'm still sleeping during the day and awake all night. They have told me they may call me when there are things to do but we shall see. If nothing else, I have enough money to pay for rent this month and next, which is when my lease is up.

Job market figures seem to be looking up, although the unemployment rate is not getting any better. I'm beginning to think that getting married would be easier than finding a job at this point...

Update

Well I don't have fantastic news but I have good news. I have been working temporarily for the last month. The hours are crazy: midnight to 8:30ish AM. But they're paying me pretty well and I get close to 40 hours every week so I can continue to pay my bills for another month or so. I'm not really sure how long it will go on but as long as they allow me to, I will continue to show up.

It's hard to sleep during the day when it's bright outside so I always hope for rain and the weather has been somewhat decent in cooperating with that. I had the day off today so I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought an eye mask so hopefully that helps. My days off really mess me up as well which is why it's almost 1:00 in the afternoon and I'm still awake. It's starting to get dark outside again so maybe I'll be able to fall asleep soon.

As I was driving around today, it was quite warm outside and it made me think of home. Not really sure why, but it did. I haven't been home since March and I'm averaging a trip home every other month so it's probably time for another one. My job may or may not end in the next week or two and if it does then I'll probably take a road trip home. But well rested this time since the last time I drove home alone I fell asleep in Wyoming... Thank goodness for the little bumps (that's the technical term) on the side of the road to let you know when you've gone out of the lane! Who knows what would have happened without them! Another fine Public Health intervention!

Tip of the Day!

So today (I guess since it's 4:30 in the morning that would be yesterday but since I haven't been to bed yet I consider it all the same day) I went to a job fair at one of the schools here in Denver. As I had never been to a job fair at a school I wasn't sure what to expect but now I know. The vast majority of the businesses that are there are looking for interns (aka free labor as shown in the pic I included for this post). So if you have already graduated and are not looking to work for free, the job fairs held on college campuses are probably not extremely helpful.

There were a few that were looking for employees but most were not. One positive that came from it was stopping by a government organization one of my friends works for here and they all knew who she was and seemed to really like her. They told me they would be hiring in the next three months and would more than likely be giving me a call. The down side of this is that I need a job and I need one SOON! I applied with the Census a few weeks ago and haven't heard back. My roommate told me they took about three weeks to call her as well so maybe soon...

Hang in there everyone!

Good news?

Well I don't have a job yet but this headline was somewhat encouraging:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011511442_jobs03.html

"Despite strong jobs growth, unemployment rate stays the same"

The good news is that job growth is back up, but the bad news is that more people are still out of work than the number of jobs out there.

Hang in there everybody!

Interview #5

So I had my fifth interview yesterday here in Denver. I felt like I did better in this interview but in a way they also told me I was overqualified. I either read the job description wrong or they changed it because I don't remember it being an administrative job. Oh well, it's all practice I guess.

So not quite sure what I want to do with my life still but I have started studying for the GRE. Which makes me realize how pathetic my own vocabulary is. I still find it slightly ridiculous this test is required for most graduate programs but I guess it shows you're serious about it. And it's a way to squeeze more money out of people.

On another side note, I'm not a huge fan of this background but I couldn't find one that worked that I liked better for Easter. Happy Easter anyway everyone!

Interview #4

So I had my fourth interview today since January and they basically told me I was overqualified for the job. The interview was at my old stomping ground, The Utah Department of Health. The day didn't start off well, as I woke up sick which I chocked up to being traumatized. I worked there for a while and had many great experiences there but also many bad memories. I was still sick after going home though so I don't think it was the place but who knows?

Each interview is a learning experience so this was not a total waste. I keep hoping that I will be getting better at interviewing with each one but the second interview I had (the first one in Utah) I still feel like was my best. Oh well. I have been given a couple of job leads so that's promising! Knowing people definitely helps! They say to always network and I think it's probably how a lot of people currently have jobs. Keep your fingers crossed for me everyone who is still reading this!

I did get to catch up with most of my former coworkers which was nice. People kept telling me how good I look so that makes me wonder what I used to look like... I thought I looked rather pale today (even for me) so who knows?

Slight change

So I've decided to change my blog up a little. I'm still in poverty from not having a job but it's no longer self-imposed. So I am going to start writing about the "adventures" I'm having in finding gainful employment. I will also share helpful hints, if I hear any.

Since becoming unemployed, I have been told by MANY people that "everything happens for a reason, blah blah blah". I'm not sure if I believe that or not but if it is true, I don't see the point in this. I have looked at all angles and the only thing I can conjure up is that up to this point, I've made the wrong decisions. Wrong major, wrong career path, wrong state to live in... All just wrong!

Okay so what is right then? I found an interesting article online in which the author states that if you find yourself in the same situation as I am and confused as to where to go, don't ask yourself what you want to do with the rest of your life, but who do you want to become.

I have always been someone where I have wanted to help people improve their lives, which is why I went into health education. Working at the health department for so many years, I gained a passion for women's health but mostly in the line of reproductive health. So I have thought about becoming a certified nurse midwife. However, I would need to take several science classes prior to applying. In the meantime, I still have bills to pay and need an income.

Rant

Okay so as I've mentioned previously I am currently looking for a job... And as this post title suggests, I am incredibly frustrated right now! And I know I'm not alone, this is the worst recession we've had since probably the depression and who knows when or if it will get any better. Things could always be worse, I don't have children or a husband, I was able to withdraw my 401K to live on (I will regret this next year when I have to pay taxes on it), my parents will allow me to move back in with them, and my landlord has been fairly nice (although let's face it, he still wants to be paid so he's not that nice!). BUT that money will eventually run out and I would rather not get to the point where it is all gone. Let's review how I got here shall we?

I graduated in the Summer of 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Utah . Prior to this happening, the economy took a serious dive. Just like when I graduated from high school in 2002. Hmm... I'm seeing a pattern. Maybe I should just enroll in school and stay there to prevent the economy from collapsing.

After fruitless efforts of trying to get another job, I heard of AmeriCorps, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. People were telling me what a good resume builder it would be and the best part of all was that I could move out of Utah. I had dreamed of moving out of Utah for a while and this seemed to be the only way to do it at the time. So I applied for several different AmeriCorps positions in different parts of the country and finally was assigned in February and started in April.

Again why I thought this was a good idea, I have no idea. I had a fairly stable job with the government and had put in 5 years. I could have retired early! Sure the pay wasn't great but I had excellent benefits and didn't have to tolerate outright abuse! I know, hindsight is 20/20 but had I stuck it out, a better job within the department might have opened up and I could have moved on and done something closely related to what I went to school for.

I have enjoyed all the friendships I've made in Colorado but there's not a day that goes by that I don't regret coming here! I would have gone back to Utah but I have a lease through July which unless I get a job here, I won't be able to finish it out.

I have had 3 interviews since January (well all in January) and two were in Utah. My little brother today asked me if I had been applying for jobs lately... I laughed and told him I apply for jobs every day! At some point, something has got to work out for me, right?

The US unemployment rate for February 2010 was 9.7%. Colorado's in December 2009 was 7.3% and Utah's for the same month was 6.6%. This does not show the entire picture as many people are unemployed who are not eligible for unemployment benefits (me being one of them).

It's estimated that 27.4% of the US population 25 and older had a bachelor's degree or higher from 2006-2008. In Salt Lake it was estimated that 21.8% had a bachelor's degree and in Denver 22.4% (same years and ages). (These figures came from either the US Census Bureau information or the US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

With such a minor percentage of the population having one, why is it so hard to find a job for me since I have one? I realize my major was more obscure but not completely ridiculous like Communications or Art History. (No offense to people with those degrees but really, what do you plan to do with them?)

What I've been up to

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything and I doubt anyone will be reading this but I thought I'd post something anyway. As I mentioned in my last post, I am no longer working and have been torn as to what my next steps in life will be. I have been thinking about going back to school to become a Certified Nurse Midwife but I will need to take several science classes before I can apply. In the meantime, I still have bills to pay and a lease through July. Something told me to not sign a lease that long, but I went against my better judgment and did it anyway. I talked to my landlord and let him know my situation and he is willing to let me stay an additional month (march) for less money while I try to get a job here. I'm not really sure how I feel about that... Before going home for Christmas, I wanted to stay here, since coming back I can't decide. I actually went back to Utah last week for two job interviews... but no job offers. So I'm still in Denver for a little while.

Cross your fingers that I get this figured out soon... I don't want to be 26 and aimless!

My favorite holiday is coming up, Valentine's Day, so I'm going to use that as my image for the post. I still can't figure out why I like it so much... I just do.