Hiatus is over

I'm amiss from posting...but only because I've been reacquainted with facebook. Facebook should give my friends Megan and Maria advertising dollars because if it wasn't for their pressure, I would've continued to avoid facebook. Now I'm addicted, especially since they've added games, i.e. Farmville.

Seems like the market is picking up. Trying to manage my time is getting a wee bit difficult. Everything was balanced between school work, church work, volunteer work, house work, and job hunting work. But now that interviews seem to be coming in more frequently, house work and volunteer work is being sacrificed. Already have an offer on the table, but trying to delay so that I finish interviews is going to be tough. Would be awesome if I can compare and contrast offers. But this begger isn't going to push it...it's been hard having to rely on hubby. Can't wait to be back at work full-force!

Job Hunt 2009

It finally hit me that I need to look for a new job. It's really weird....although I was laid off back in January 2009, I've been uber-busy with school and short-term contracts. But now that Spring term is over (with Summer term beginning in a few weeks) and my contracts completed last week, the quiet time I am faced with is daunting.

What I'm realizing is how much I enjoy the management consulting aspect of HR. Analyzing and evaluating an organization's practices to ascertain where to change for the better has provided challenges so lacking in my HR career.

So with a lull in my time, I'm at a loss. Should I take this much deserved break or seriously look for a "job"? To be entirely honest with myself, I'd rather find a new challenge rather than another job. The difference: loving what I do versus paying the bills. If I could find a job that allowed me to do what I love, I wouldn't be thinking of the amount of money earned.

I love my netbook!

I'm not an early adopter. Typically, I like to wait until a new gadget has all the bugs worked out. But I couldn't help myself. Arguments posed to convince hubby: While I could've purchased an iPhone rather than my Palm, I know myself too well to walk away from the tactile feel of a keyboard. While my cell provides internet access, it doesn't do so in the way this tool does. And since I'm usually at coffee shops with WiFi access for about an hour, my Dell Mini fulfills my needs to answer e-mail, IM friends, surf the net, etc. all without requiring a 2nd bag.

And if I need my netbook to act like a notebook, then I can always upload my documents from my Digital Dropbox and work until I feel the strain in my neck or eyes. No different from working on my laptop.

Take a number, please.

For insurance purposes, I needed to obtain the police accident report at Austin Police Department. According to the APD paperwork the assigned officer provided to me at the time of my accident, the process outlined seemed simple enough. Go to the website, call the office, or visit APD on 8th street.

Since it seemed easiest, I went to the website: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/. The site was not user friendly. Great, now I know what the current Police Chief looks like, but that really doesn't help. Scroll down, scroll up, click in random places hoping to eventually get to somewhere. Spent nearly an hour and then called the number on the pamphlet: 512.974.5212. I get a voice that lists several categories for me to select, only to point to the website again. Fortunately, the male voice provides site navigation instructions. Eureka? NOT! After entering my information and the accident case number, NO REPORT! Initially, I thought maybe I didn't wait long enough....maybe the system was characteristically slow. But looking at the pamphlet again, it states that Transportation Code 550.041 that the "detailed report will be available 3 to 5 business days after tthe crash and can be purchased from APD Report Sales."

That should've been the clue: APD is another money-grubbing governmental agency that has spent unknown $$$$ of my taxes to pay for a tool they apparently haven't bothered to understand or use. At the onset, I should've just gone APD Report Sales at 715 E. 8th Street.

Hubby and I were surprised to find the ominous fortress-like building lacked the typical government agency line. Behind the plate glass looking bored out of her mind was a government worker, smacking her gum and head rested in her hand. We smiled hello. No response. We figured we must give her a form, as forms line the plate glass desk that separated her from us. None of the forms met our needs. So hubby ventures a conversation. Her response: "Take a number please." Stunned, we look at each other, around the empty foyer, and back at her. He ventured a follow-up question. "Do you have that number?" I pointed at the small basket of plastic covered numbers to my hubby, who retrieved said number which then animated the bored government robot.

It took her less than 5 minutes to log onto the computer system, run over to a file cabinet, to return to the plate glass desk that separated us from her and rummage through a stack of papers about 10 inches thick, retrieve and copy my report, and then quote us a $6 charge for all that work.

Honestly, I think we paid too little. I think I can charge people $10 just to watch and marvel at her transformation.

It's worse than it looks

Why I drive a Volvo? Because this little car was able to sustain over $16,000 in damage, be declared a total wreck, and I'm still alive. Versus the Pontiac G5 that hit me from behind...girl hit me so hard that she pushed me into the service truck with reinforced backside and slightly onto the curb despite me already riding my brakes. While I may be alive, I am suffering the affects of whiplash. Although, I'm beginning to wonder if the Texas doctor who is treating me actually cares. First, she made me wait 3 days after the accident, despite the ER doctor's recommendation that I be treated ASAP. Then she wanted me to wait 2 weeks before a follow-up, without considering a treatment plan outside of basic stretches and pain medication. So, now my left arm goes numb/dead off and on AND it's hard to sleep on my back. I nearly had to beg to be seen again. Had an MRI before she would recommend therapy. Fortunately, got a second opinion and had a neurological massage (had no idea such existed until was told about it). It was an excruciatingly painful experience despite the fact that the masseuse said she barely touched me. My back and side muscles were pretty bruised up. While I feel a bit better, I still don't feel 100%. Not even 80%. And damn AAA Texas wants me to shell out my money before deciding to provide my coverage because the damn girl who hit me was driving without insurance! Why isn't this girl in jail? Why didn't the police officer run her insurance and cite her not only for hitting me but also for breaking the law? Is this a typical City of Austin practice?

New Years Resolutions for 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now that feasting and festivities are over, and returning to work from the holidays is literally around the corner, we now have a quiet moment to reflect on how to improve ourselves via the New Years Resolution list.

What we list for ourselves:
1. Lose 10% of weight through diet and exercise. (i.e. Walk the dog at least once a day.)
2. Limit spending to "need" not "want," which means also understanding the difference. (i.e. You don't need a $500 pair of boots, another wool coat, or cashmere socks when the average temperature in Texas is in the 60s.)

What we list for each other:
Still being negotiated.

Day Trip - Fredericksberg and LBJ Ranch, TX

Two weeks is just too long to vacation at home. While it was nice to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, i.e. knit, watch tv, play with babies, and wake up gingerly at noon, cabin fever soon set in. To relieve ourselves of the ailment, we drove the nearly 1 hour trip to Fredericksberg, TX. Of anything, we love to learn...and it's amazing when you find the unexpected.

From Nimitz Museum in Fredericksberg:



We added a short detour to the LBJ Ranch. Talk about history! Imagine walking in the same place where men sought to understand how to with the Vietnam war; moreso, the humility of a man who preferred living in his own humble homestead rather than building out a McMansion on the government's dime!

At the Texas White House, LBJ National Park:



Best part was witnessing a deer stampede in the "safety" of our car. Video is tail end, and doesn't do justice of experience!