Alfred loves peaches

Last night I went to my book club meeting. I could have blogged about it last night, but then I'd have nothing to write about for today! It was kind of nice, there were only 5 of us there for a change, it was nice to be able to actually be able to hold a conversation and hear everyone. Usually there's so many people that you don't even end up talking to half of the people there because the table is so long. And I like all the girls who came, so that was good, too. 2 of them were pregnant. One is about 7 months along, she's due in October and doesn't know what she's having yet. Also, she's freaking gorgeous. The other girl was due yesterday. Her stomach sticks out so freaking far, I don't understand how she stays upright. She's having a little boy.

The book we read wasn't my favorite ever, but we didn't really talk about it much because only me and one other girl had read it. I don't know why I even bother, except that it gives me ideas for new things to read. And I like to read.

On a different note, teachers went back to work today for most of the counties around here. It's a good thing I didn't try to hold out for a teaching job, because obviously, that would not have worked. I heard through the grapevine that there was an unofficial hiring freeze and that they would hire like crazy the first 2 weeks of August, but if that's the case, I certainly never heard about it. I applied for tons of jobs online, mailed out resumes to several principals... nothing. It's kind of discouraging that I didn't even get a single call for an interview. I never got a call about any of the other types of jobs I applied for this summer either. I got 2 emails, one acknowledging my resume and one saying they had filled the position (2 different jobs), but that's it. I guess I'll just hang out at the museum for the rest of my life, since I apparently can't get hired anywhere else. Thanks a lot, Cornell!

Happy Birthday Cathy! and, a new job question

Cathy's turning old today! Well, she's already been old, but she's even older today! No, I will not reveal her age. I don't think she reads this, but I don't need her kicking my ass if she ever does. She was pretty good at Wii boxing. I of course have not sent her card and gift yet, mostly because I do not have her gift yet. I have the card at least! I'm a terrible sister in law. Sorry Cathy. Happy Birthday slaw!!

So anyway. (I use both of those words here a lot, I've noticed). I mentioned last week that I need to find a new job, hopefully sometime soon. Well, Alfred and I have been talking a bit about the possibility of me going back to the museum. I talked to Lindsay yesterday (who took over my job when I left) and it turns out she just gave her notice because her husband got a new job and they're moving. I knew she was giving her notice sometime soon, so this wasn't a surprise to me. In other words, this leaves my old job open again.

My old bosses own 3 other tourism businesses in addition to the museum, and have lost all of the office staff for one of the other businesses (other than the book keeper, who works for all 4 companies) within the last couple of months. They pulled my former coworker, Cathy, back over to that company, where she worked before coming to the museum (to replace Lindsay when she left to have Xyla), (are you following all of this?) and apparently plan to keep her over there since she wasn't doing a very good job at the museum. Ok, she sucked. She made my last year there even worse, she just was not cut out for that job. And she has a bit of an abrasive personality. So after talking to Lindsay yesterday, and finding out that Cathy would (most likely) be gone, I'm thinking more seriously about calling my old bosses and talking to them about the possibility of me coming back. I figure I can phrase it more as me coming back to help them out, rather than needing a paycheck and not being able to get another job.

The pros:

• I knew that place inside and out. It would probably be very easy to slip back into the routine and feel comfortable again.
• It would pay more than what I make now, assuming I started back up at what I made when I left (I make about 40% less now than I did then, plus I had more benefits then, including a car)
• Especially during my last year there, I was in charge. I really liked feeling important and being able to make decisions. I liked feeling competent and needed, which I don't really feel at my job now.
  
• I was burned out. Being away from it for a year, I can look back and remember enjoying my job and the museum in general. I even miss it sometimes. Maybe coming back after having some time away will give me a fresh perspective and I'll enjoy it again.
• They're building a new, larger museum across the street from the existing one. New programs are being created, old ones are being revamped, lots of new exciting stuff going on.
• I liked and miss a lot of the people I worked with. Not all of them, but a lot of them.
  

(This is getting long. (That's what she said!) Here, have a doofy looking picture of me to break it up.)
Ok, back to work. The cons:

• My former bosses can be difficult to work with. They're a married couple; one micromanages things to death, the other is so hands-off and changes his mind so frequently that it's hard to keep track of what you're supposed to be doing. Things changed a lot over the years I worked there, becoming much more rigid and adding a lot more procedures, making things more complicated than they needed to be. They've apparently become more controlling over the past year.
  
• Lots going on with a new location means lots of potential stress. Not the least of which would be finding and training enough new guides to staff all the programs. That's tough.
• If in fact Cathy does not return, that would mean I would have to train someone new to replace her. Which I don't mind doing, but it would mean longer hours and more work for me as they're learning and I'm having to do both jobs for awhile.
• There are some people that I would supervise that are difficult to work with. As in, incredibly annoying and demanding and just difficult. Part of the reason I was burnt out.
• If we do move sometime in the next year, traffic would be a bitch.
  

Another thing is that I left a year ago planning to go on to bigger and better things. I feel kind of, I don't know, I guess pathetic, like I'm coming crawling back with my tail between my legs and admitting failure. Like I couldn't make it doing something else after all. I feel a little foolish, I guess.

I just don't know how I feel about it. Maybe if I go into it assuming it's only a temporary thing, it'll be ok. Of course, I don't know how temporary it would be - the rest of the summer? The full school year? And what if I do stay a full year, do I plan to leave after that? I just don't know! Anyone care to give me some advice??

(By the way, I'm writing this Monday at about 6:30 as I wait for Alfred to finish up so we can leave. I'm going to be out of the office all day tomorrow so I'm setting this up to automatically post Tuesday. Cool, huh?)

stepping it up

My job search, that is. 2 of the guys who worked with us are leaving after next week. One of them is the son of Max's business partner, so it's not like Alfred and I are special because we're related. It's just getting to the point where they can't afford things. Today I actually volunteered to take a pay cut to help out a bit. In other words, I really feel the need to find a new job.

It's a wee bit stressful. Most jobs I find posted I'm either a) not qualified for because the industry is so specific, or b) wildly overqualified for. Plus, so many of the jobs that are in the area I'd like to be in and actually went to school for (preschool or other early education) pay really, really shitty. They're all in the $8-$10/hour range. I'm sorry, I can't do that. It's too bad they don't tell you in college that you shouldn't pick your major based on what interests you, but in what is most marketable in the future. Katie, you should switch to business or something.

I've applied to several positions I've found on craig's list, career builder, and on specific company websites, but haven't heard back from anyone yet. I also need to set up a school district interview since I missed the recruitment fair, and mail out stuff to some principals to try to get their attention. What a pain in the ass. On the upside, at least now I don't feel quite so guilty having nothing to do, since I'm not getting paid anymore!