Job hunting

I have been on my blog a few times, ready to write and just too exhausted to do so.

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My grandpa died on Feb 12 and i've been doing family stuff. The kids were confused and I had to answer a hundred questions about death and what happens after. I wasn't properly prepared for it all, and all of a sudden I've been wondering if I should go back to church.

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We'll see.

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Other than that, for the past few weeks I've been job hunting. I've had 4 interviews, 2 job offers and 1 second follow up interview set up for next week as well. I'm tired. Tired of getting dressed up, of pawning my kids off to my mother's so I can go to the interviews, tired of answering 20 questions, tired of waiting and most tired of being 'on'.

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You see, my lovely 6 year old pain-in-the-butt of a daughter got sick. I mean the 'so sick we have to go to the hospital' type sick. I took 2 days off work. (I called in sick) I told my boss we were at the hospital with my daughter and I had to stay with her.

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Once I did return to work (Jp had to book time off as well, since I could not be taking any more days off from my work) my boss took me into the office and bluntly asked if I plan on working there any longer. It was like a ton of bricks just hit me. I said "yes" and asked why.
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He said he could not accept my 2 days off as "sick days" as it was not me that was sick, it was my child. (As he so elequantly put it, he does not give sick days for someone's children) So I should've lied then I guess...

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Anyway, I told him he could take from my vacation days. Bastard turned to me and said 'you need to give me notice to take vacation days'.

Asshole.
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So after that little fiasco, I threw my hands up in the end and said "cut me some slack". But he didn't. He told me I could choose to hand in my resignation or choose to stay but "promise it won't happen again." I didn't need to think about it. I looked him straight in the eye and said

"i have 2 small children, I guarantee that it'll happen again".

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I walked out of his office, shaken up and angry. I am still angry, even though it happened almost 2 weeks ago. Since then, he's talked to me again (no, not apologized, since that would mean he'd have to admit he was wrong) and said he just wanted to show me how important I was to his organization, that he needs me to run the joint and since I was gone for 2 days, that means there is no one there to take care of things.

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He told me it was a good thing, and to look at it as meaning I was a valuable memeber of his team.

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Well, it didn't work. I didn't take it like that. Ever since that day, I've been actively searching for new work. I've had a few interviews. Some were not enough money, some were not the hours I'm looking for, and so on. I got a great job offer at the police station down the road, but I had to turn in down because every second rotation would have been afternoon shift

(i want to be with my kids after 4pm so that didn't work for me)

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I know I sound picky, and I really don't think I am being that way. I am totally going to take a pay cut , I am prepared to, but I still want it to be something that I can be happy at not just any old job.
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So now you know, there you have it, that's what I've been doing since last time I blogged.

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Jp suggested staying where I'm at til the kids get sick again, and then just quit then. It would be smart of me, the hours are great for me (7am -3pm) and great money... but my damn pride won't let me.

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I can't back down.

I hate being in that office now and all I can think of is getting out of there.

Blog buddies

I just got back from a very cool lunch date with a woman that I've only known through my blog before. We've been reading each other's blogs for over a year now, and I always think she has something interesting to post about. But to actually meet, in person, is taking the blog-friendship to a whole new level.

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Can I just say I heart Laura! We met at this hole in the wall monolian restaurant that I just adore. I eat there about once a week, even though I live 1 hour drive from it. I'm seriously considering moving closer into the city to be near the restaurant.

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Yup. That's how much thought I put into all my big decisions.

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But back to Laura. I walked in and saw her sitting at the table already. I stopped from a minute to really let it sink in. Moment of truth, right? What if in person, it'd be totally different? After all, I never did tell her I was short. What if she didn't like me?

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(I sound like a highschool kid on a first date)

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Well, I needn't have worried. She was fantastic. Not only is she tall, beautiful and smart but she's got a great sense of humour and a number of fantastic stories. Poor girl couldn't get to her food, since I kept playing 20 questions.

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But it turns out we have a lot of things in common, from the type of car we go for (just cause it's cute, right Laura?) to the travelling bug , to both of us wanting to leave our current jobs, and even to the fact that we both narrowly escaped marrying musicians. Both our exes are convinced they are headed for 'big time' rockstar status.

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It's so cool to meet a fellow blogger, especially one who's life you've been 'following' over the years. It doesn't feel like meeting a stranger, as much as a friend you've never met.

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At one point we were talking about dogs, and I asked 'who's watching Sierra now?' as if I've met the dog before. But I just feel so connected to her life, since I've been reading her for so long. And more than once, we both referred to past things that happened in our lives, and the other one would nod and remember having read about it.

Too cool.

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Have you met any of your blog friends? If so, was it cool? Did you hit it off right away?

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And truthfully, how many of you would actually put an effort into it and travel

to meet another blogger?

(I'm not talking halfway across the world here, but a reasonable distance)

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HamiHarri- are you reading this?? (LOL)

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You want 10? I'll give you 5.

I loathe bargaining with people about money. I hate garage sales only because of all the people who are haggling around me. It makes me visibly uncomfortable. I know I am a minority in this, since everyone I know does haggle when it comes to price.

Some only do it when it comes to buying from garage sales. Others enjoy the experience while buying a car at a dealership. Many still, will bargain with sales people inside stores.

Everything about arguing (as i think of it) with someone about price is totally out of my comfort zone. I am outspoken and abrupt so it's not the confrontation that I am scared of. I just don't like this game. The seller will price the item higher so that he has room to come down. The buyer will offer a lower price, and feels good about themselves as they leave because they've gotten such a 'good deal'.

Why? Everyone knows this goes on. So what's the point?

I don't hold many garage sales as I'm sure you've guessed. I tried to but it doesn't work. I price things at the price I expect to sell them at but nevertheless, there is always a conversation about price that goes something like this:

Buyer: "how much is this?"
Me: "5 dollars"
Buyer: "I'll give you 3."
Me: "It's 5."

Then they get upset, and I get upset and at the end of the day, I have to pack up all my crap back into the garage. It's futile.

The other day we bought a 'new' car (a 2002) and JP wanted me to seal the deal while he was away. Problem was that he wanted me to offer $500 less than the asking price. He knew that it would be hard for me, but he had no idea how much so. I couldn't sleep the night before, I thought about it all day, and then, just before I got to the lady's house (the one that was selling the car) my palms got all sweaty. In the end, I couldn't do it. I found something wrong with the car, and told her my husband would be by later to look at it.

I am lucky that she allowed that to happen, and didn't sell it to someone else. When JP went there, he offered $500 less, she said she wanted $200 more than what he offered. In the end we bought the car at a price we were happy with and she probably got what she had originally anticipated.

But to me, this little 'haggling dance' cost me sleepless nights, sweaty palms, a headache and more than a few gray hairs. I'd rather paid her the $300 more she had asked for and be done with it.

I guess I am a lone breed in all of this, but that is how it is.

Casanova

After we work all day then come home to take care of you and the kids, and we fall asleep on the couch out of pure exhaustion, do not wake us up to see if you can 'get some'.

The answer will most likely be no.

MY A LIST

This is a recycled post from at least a year ago, on my last blog. There are only a handful of you who'll recognize it and I do think it's worth re-posting. I'll probably do that with some of my favorite old posts, in the whole 'recycling' spirit.

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You all know what an “A-List” is, right? It’s a list of names of celebrities or otherwise un-attainable people that you can, um, do the hanky-panky with, without your significant other getting mad at you.Jp and I talked about this and he thinks it’s a juvenile idea. So, he doesn’t have a list. Oh well. Too bad for him. No list - no sleeping with some hot celebrity! Can’t be cheating on me without a list, I say.Meanwhile, here’s my list of top 5:

1. Jude Law

2. Matthew Mcconaughey

3. Orlando Bloom

4. Josh Lucas

5. Ryan Gosling

Who’s on your list?

More mediocre service - coming right up!

Get ready America! It's coming!!

In case you haven't heard, Tim Horton's is trying desperately to push into the US market. Tim Horton's is a Canadian coffee and donut chain, much like Crispy Cream or Dunkin' Donuts.

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It's very popular in Canada, and it's rival is Starbucks. Although Starbucks has a certain snob appeal, I find most canadians, do in fact prefer Timmy's (as we affectionatly refer to it) to Starbucks due to the 'proudly canadian' factor.
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There is only one little teeny tiny problem. The people who they hire to work there!

As part of the pre-requisite to work at Tim Horton's you must not have graduated high school, and above all, you must not (I repeat NOT) speak english.

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If you meet the two critiria, you will most likely pass the interview - conducted by a manager and a fellow highschool drop out with no handle on the english language- with flying colours!

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(NO, it's not a spelling mistake, we spell colour with a 'u'. Same with neighbour, and labour too.)

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This little hickup does not stop hundreds of hungry commuters from lining up each morning through the drive through, most of us just grabing the standard 'double double' and a bagel.

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(double double is what Tim Hourton's calls their coffee. 2 cream, 2 sugar. Catchy, right?)

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I am one of those faithful, if completely frustrated customers, and I go by each morning at 6am and get my double double. Each morning it is always the same. I can put money on how it'll go.

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Tim Horton's Employee (In frightening Darth Vader voice)

"Welcome to Tim Horton's can I take your order?"

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Me (wondering why they all sound like Darth Vader in the damn speaker)

"A double double and a toasted bagel please"

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T H Employee:

"Would you like to try our new B.E.L.T bagel?" (Bacon Egg Lettuce Tomato)

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Me: "No"

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T H Employee: " Would you like anything else?"

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Me: "Still no."

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I get to the counter drive through. I go to pay. The lady who clearly wasn't listening the first time asks me to repeat my order. So I do. Slowly.

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Then she reaches out into my car handing me the bagel wrapped in a plastic-y type napkin. At this point I always ask for a bag. She sighs. Hands me the bagel AND a bag.

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I then proceed to put the bagel into the bag on my own. Next comes the coffee. Again, she attempts to hand me the hot drink. I ask for a sleeve or I'm going to have blisters on my hand before I even get around the corner. She visibly rolls her eyes, but complies.
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This ritual has gone on every single day for over a year. Same people at the drive through counter, same old me in the car. Same scenario every time.

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It just kills me. WHY can't they just bag it without being asked?! And why won't they put a sleeve on the coffee without being reminded?! Are we saving a few pennies for the corporate giant by cutting these corners?

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Then, of course are the days -like today- when I pay with cash instead of debit card. I try not to, because they sometimes run out of fingers and toes and I have to wait for someone else to come by and take off their sandals before I get my change.

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Today my order came to $3.25 I gave her a $5 bill. She got me my food/drink (after doing our little bag and sleeve dance back and forth first) and started giving me my change.

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I saw a quarter in my ashtray and handed it to her. That was my first mistake. She moved her hand back and had a puzzled look.

"You already paid." she said.
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Me: Yes I know, I'm trying to get less change so I'm giving you a quarter.

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TH Employee (so observant) But you already paid.

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Me: Yes, you are correct. But now I would like a toonie as change instead of all of that in your hand. ( a toonie is a 2 dollar coin we have)

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TH Employee: YOU PAID!!

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Me: We've established that. I am going to give you a quarter back and you can give me a toonie.

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TH Employee: I am going to get the manager.

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Me: Oh, for Fuck's sake.

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Manager comes back, (with the translater in tow)and asks me what the problem is. I tell them that I was trying to get less change and that I wanted to give her a quarter so that I could get a toonie instead of a bunch of coins.
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He pauses. Seems to be thinking. I hold my breath. Looks at her, then at me. Then he says to me "we don't do that here ma'am" and gives me back $1.75 in change.

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I just about dropped my coffee into my lap and shook my head.
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There was no point continuing, as I fear explaining it further would have made me late for work.

And that, in a nutshell, is TIM HORTON'S.

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Coming soon to an American town near you!

I know! We'll call it DILDO!!

This article just proves I can find the most useful things on google.

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Sure, you may wonder why I'd be google-ing "Dildo" in the first place, but more importantly, look what a gem I came up with:
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There is a town in Canada (on the east coast) called DILDO.

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That's right, as in the toy. Apparantly the quaint little coastal town got it's name long before the toy, however they are now sick of tourists snickering as they come through.
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They are considering changing the name, though some of the younger generation finds it un-necessary.

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I think it'd be cool to live in a town called Dildo. It's better than the town called Hell.

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What do you think? Have you heard of any weird town names near where you live?

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And, here's my first poll ever: