Jobs Update

So I am a "finalist" in the Bolthouse job. They are trying to decide between me and one other guy, and both of us have to make a design and send it in by tomorrow at 5 pm. The design is supposed to help them decide. They already told me that the other candidates they were interviewing had more experience than I do, but they liked me and where I worked, and the VP had told me I'd be perfect for the job. So the other guy will probably do better on the design than I will. This really is just up to God now and where he wants me, I guess it always has been but I just have to do my best and hope that is where he wants me.

My advertising job looks like it's going to come through as well, but the pay is pretty crappy and it's only part time until June. After that it's full time but I still will be making less than I made in Texas which just doesn't seem right considering my skills fit perfectly with this job, plus some. Subbing is done in June anyway and I could sub in the meantime and on days off but is it worth it?

In other news, my photography is going to be displayed at an art gallery here in town! I get to pick my pieces and prices and they will display/sell them. I am also joining the art association and will be in a few contests this year, painting and photography - I'll start posting some work here.

Lastly, two of my articles will be published in the May edition of Kern Business and Bakersfield Life Magazine, I worked hard on them and they turned out pretty good, in my opinion. I did some of the photos too and was already offered another assignment for June!

So even though the full-time job front is looking bleak, and my husband gets more irritated as each day goes by that we can't buy a house, I guess there are some things that are worth getting excited about!

Waiting

I really hate waiting. I consider myself to be a pretty patient person and usually when it comes to jobs I am pretty patient as well. However, I still have not heard from Bolthouse about that job I really want. They said not to freak out if I don't hear back right away, that someone in the decision process was going to be out of town all last week, but to send an email on Friday letting them know i still haven't heard. Well I did that and it's Monday and I still haven't heard a thing. Tomorrow I have another interview with the advertising company and I'm pretty sure she's going to offer me the job. I can't say no because if the Bolthouse thing doesn't work out, then I need something to fall back. I can't say yes because Bolthouse may call me any day.  I already emailed Bolthouse, is it too annoying for me to call too if I haven't heard anything by the end of the day??? I really want to know.

3 Things About Stacey

Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. lifeguard
2. holiday window painter
3. camp counselor

Three movies I would watch over and over:
1. you've got mail
2. while you were sleeping
3. music and lyrics

Three places I have lived:
1. conroe, tx
2. Newport Beach, CA
3. Preston Park, PA

Three shows that I watch:
1. American Idol
2. Friends
3. The Office

Three Places I have Been to:
1. Germany
2. Austria
3. New York

Three people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Mary Ann
2. Dad
3. ebay

Three places I’d rather be right now:
1. at the beach
2. sleeping in my bed
3. swimming in a pool

Three friends I think will respond:
1. you
2. you

3. you

Three things I am looking forward to this year:
1. swimming again

2. getting a job (it has to happen sometime!)
3. going to oregon

A Busy Life

Lately I've discovered that I've become very busy. I have been applying for jobs like crazy and finally have been hearing back from some of them. First I'd applied to be an editor of special publications for The Bakersfield Californian, but I apparently didn't have enough professional experience. They did like my writing so I am now a freelance writer/photographer for the Bakersfield Life Magazine and Kern Business magazine, my first two articles come out next month. I'll be sure to post links to them.

Then I applied to do part time graphics for Saba Ad Agency in Bakersfield, but that one I didn't get either. They said I was in the top three but they went with someone else. I also applied to be an admin assistant for another agency here in town, Heise Media Group, and have basically been offered the job. I would be the admin. asst. but also learn a ton about the advertising business, with opportunity for advancement. The only catch is that it is part time to start. I don't know the pay or how part time, 3 hrs a week or 20. It will probably be full time eventually, but that's up in the air too.

I'm also waiting to hear back from Bolthouse Farms. where I applied to be a product design person (graphics) for their food products which are mainly carrots and juices, but it would be cool to have my design featured on national products and they offer great benefits. Finally, the Californian wants a full time graphic designer for a project that will end in June and I'm waiting to hear back from them as well.

In the meantime, this week I've been subbing for 7th grade math and working on my two articles, due Friday. As soon as I finish subbing today and tomorrow I have to hurry back to Bakersfield (I sub in Wasco) to visit some art museums and artists and take some pictures. I have all my notes and info for the most part, I just have to actually do the writing.

To add to my busy schedule, I am a bridesmaid/co-maid of honor in the wedding of one of my best friends. I am really excited because the only other wedding I've really been involved in was my own. But that means a few busy weeks coming up, I helped plan one shower, attended a second and I am planning the third, which is also this weekend. Then I'm helping plan and coordinate the bachelorette party for the following weekend. The wedding is two weeks after that, in Templeton, CA.

Whew. So there's all the stuff I'm doing in the next few weeks. For someone who is unemployed at the moment, I sure have a lot to keep me busy.

The Ultimate Gift

My mom bought this movie for me a few months back, I guess more than a few months since she mailed it to me in Texas. I just watched it, as I've been working on the two articles I'm writing for the Bakersfield Life magazine and Kern Business Magazine, multitasking helps me think. 

A brief synopsis:

"When his wealthy grandfathers dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens inherits his grandfather's crash course on life: 12 tasks - or gifts - designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways. The "course" sends Jason on a journey of self-discovery that forces him to reevaluate his priorities and determine what he thinks the most important things in life really are."

Anyway, I popped it in, figuring I better watch it while I'm home alone because my husband doesn't really like these types of "feel good" movies because he thinks they are "predictable" and "boring."  Okay it is somewhat predictable, but still if you can get past that, the acting is decent (better in some parts than in others), the cast is likable and it really does make you think about what's important.   Go rent it!!

Randomness

1. What is your occupation? unemployed right now but journalist/graphic artist
2. What color are your socks right now? white and pink, just got back from softball
3. What are you listening to right now? the fan clicking annoyingly
4. What was the last thing you had to eat? scrambled eggs
5. Can you drive a stick shift? yep, i do everyday
6. What color would you be if you were a color? red
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? brenda
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? sure do!
9. How old are you today? 27
10. Favorite drink? cherry coke zero
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? swimming, softball, beach volleyball
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes and i need to do it again
13. Pets? rachel the dog
14. Favorite food? anything italian
15. Last movie you watched at a movie theater? 21 - awesome movie!!!!
16. What do you do to vent anger? i keep it inside and then i usually end up yelling and kicking something eventually
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? my little ponies or anything horse related
18. Cherry or Blueberry? blueberry
19. What is your favorite fall or spring? i love fall colors!
20. Do you want your friends to email you back? or post on their blog... yes!
21. Who is most likely to respond? ha! no one since bethany already did it and no one else i know has a blog
22. Who is least likely to respond? everyone
23. When was the last time you cried? today briefly reading something sad
26. Favorite smell? the ocean
27. Plain cheese or spicy hamburgers? spicy!
28. Favorite cat breed? none i hate cats
29. Number of keys on your key ring? about 10
30. How many years at your current job? 0
31. Favorite day of the week? Friday
32. How many states have you lived in? Three - CA, TX, and PA (for 2 mths but i had an address there so I'm counting it).

Gen. Abbrv.

I blame text messaging. Before text messaging people spoke in full sentences and only abbreviated things that were supposed to be shortened, like street signs. Now, everything is abbreviated or combining two words into a made up word. And I'm all for texting, don't get me wrong, but somewhere we need to draw a line. It's gotten to the point where kids in my classes are writing, "IDK" for "i don't know" on answers. How much worse can it get?

I think the first time I started noticing it was with celebrities, starting with J. Lo and then Bennifer. Then we had Brangelina and KFed and I've actually heard Jessica Simpson referred to as J. Simp and her sister referred to as A.Simp.  Seriously??? 

Recently, stores and companies have started doing this. Ie. Pacific Sunwear went to Pac Sun and Dairy Queen went to DQ. I noticed the other day watching a National Geographic show that they are now calling it "Nat Geo." And Tuesday on American Idol (which by the way, they should start calling it Propaganda Idol, but that's another blog entirely!) Randy Jackson said he liked how one of the contestants got into the "false".  Is falsetto really that long of a word???

Alright, I'm off my soapbox. But tell me I'm not the only one that's going crazy by our generation of abbreviation??? 

Camping

Oh how I love to camp! 

Last weekend  we went on our first official beach trip since coming back to California.  We were going to stay in a hotel, but since our last trip the prices have jumped through the roof for a decent hotel room so we decided to check out campsites we've stayed at in the past. The Oceano Campground is right near the entrance to the dunes but out of the wind and sand, and for $20 a night, what a deal! 

We arrived around 5:30 PM, just in time to set up our new awesome tent while 

it was still light outside. It can sleep 8 people and is 7 feet tall inside so normal sized people can stand up too, not just me. There were more poles than I'd ever seen for a tent, you would've thought someone was trying to create a giant poking device! We actually had to read the instructions and then set it up, something Lee's not used to doing.  It didn't take too long and pretty soon Chateau de Payne was open for business! We got a few strange looks from people around us setting it up, for all they knew it was just the two of us. We were expecting three more people that night.

Camp was set up right next to a pretty little river with baby duckies swimming in it. As pretty as it was, it brought mosquitoes. Everyone in Texas knows how much mosquitoes love me - at least they did in Texas. I got bit once (on my face!) but then they left me alone and went after our friend Kevin.

But camping in general is great. I love smelling all the stuff people are cooking around you, catching bits and pieces of funny conversation, being amused at the tent set-up virgins that arrive at 10PM to set up their tent with two tiny flashlights and hearing all the wildlife around you and trying to figure out what creature the glowing eyes hiding in the bush belong to.

Yeah the bugs are a little annoying and for some reason we never bring an air mattress that doesn't have a leak so we end up on the ground in the morning, but it's worth it for the fun times with friends and S'Mores around the campfire! Oh, and the gaggle of geese that came to visit in the morning were hilarious! Plus, having a 60 second walk to the ocean is always a plus!