Dear Diary

[LyndaLu]

Dear Diary:

I had a job interview two weeks ago and I have not not heard a word back about it.
Should I call the recruiting office on Monday to ask if a decision has been made?
Should I wait another week before asking about it ? It is a part-time job. I have
been out of work for a long while, ever since I got let go from my job due to
"workforce reduction" ( layed off due to the poor economy ).

Part of me wants this job because I need to start working again
to get my confidence back. I am losing all of the office skills I once had due to the
fact that I am not using those skills. I was at my last job for 24 years working in
an office ( department ) for one of the worlds largest banking institutions.

Part of me does not want the job because it is
only a 20 hour per week job and I cannot pay my bills with a part time job.
But a part time job would supplement the money that my sister is giving me
each month so that I can pay my rent and all of my other bills. I am very lucky
to have her around, otherwise I would be homeless right now.

My sister is helping me out with money and I feel really guilty about that, so any money that
I make from a part time job will lift some of the financial burden off of her.

This is what has been on my mind the past two weeks.
Looking for work and doing interviews has changed so much since I last had to look for a job.
There are so many rules now and it is tougher to even get your foot in the door by getting
an interview. I don't know why it has to be so much more complicated now, but probably
because thousands of folks are applying for just one job opening. It is overwhelming for all.

Lynda

[LyndaLu]

Dear Diary:

I located a local women's center in town that has inexpensive classes to help the job seeker.
The center is a non-profit organization and the 2 hour classes cost $5.00 each. I found the
center online when I was looking for Job Fairs. Anyhow, this center has really helped me
and I am glad that I have found it. The center is called the Fresh Start Women's Foundation.

The teachers all volunteer their time and the center helps
to empower women in many ways. I have taken a few classes regarding the job search and
this makes me feel more informed. It helps me feel more connected to the other ladies in
the class, because they are going through very tough times right now also, some more than
others.

The classes I have taken are : Developing Your Inner Leader, Job Searching For The
Future, Resume' Writing, Interview Techniques, Interview Lab, Professional Communication &
Etiquette and a Basic Computer Class. Next month I will be taking some more computer classes.

The classes are only two hours long, but sometimes I feel that they should be three hours long
because everyone in the class wants to express themselves and wants to "tell their life story"
to some extent. I just wanted to share this with whoever wants to listen to it. I think this
women's center is a very good thing for me and will hopefully help me regain my confidence
in the workplace.

Do any of your towns or cities have anything like this women's center around there?

Lynda

[Loveslife]

Dear Lynda,

Excellent Job!!! Great work in finding and attending the job seeking classes. You are learning to network and
to tap into skills that you may never have known were just beneath your surface. I'm impressed.

Yes, by all means call your prospective job employer. Most jobs are part time now because of health care, believe it or not. Just say you are following up and loved having the chance to meet him/her, yada yada yada, and add how much you would love to be a part of their team.

Even nursing jobs are all per diem, instead of full time, so the hospitals can avoid paying health care.

I feel with your determined mindset, you will have a new job in no time at all.

I'm VERY busy packing and selling almost all of my belongings. Luckily, I have good taste (LOL) so much of what I own has appreciated over the years.

I have been thinking quite a lot about what I will do next to earn money, and I've decided that I have many talents and capabilities and now I KNOW IT!!

So, my next endeavor will be a serious one with real growth potential. It all has to wait until I'm resettled in Florida, and that is mid May.

Love to ALL.

XO
J.

[tina martin]

Get panicky when I read what you both must deal with. Life is now so hard for many with the most fundamental matter of earning a living so very difficult. You are both courageous, brave, energetic, extend my total admiration. Sending you all the praises you deserve.

Strength and optimism and hope will see you through the hurdles, XO, XO, XO.......T

[LyndaLu]

J: Thank you for the postive feedback. I did call the recruiting office today about that part-time job
and I did not get the job. I was sort of relieved, in a way, because I know something better will come my way.
I also wanted to tell you that I really understand what you said in one of your earlier posts about: "Stuff" doesn't
matter. I looked around my apartment the other day and said the same thing. I have been so worried
about losing "everything" but the things I am worried about losing are just "things", material things. I am sorry
that you have had to go through so much the past several months and I know that you must
be such a strong person to live through it. You are going to do great in Florida and it will be a great fresh
start to your new life. No more looking back, just looking forward.

T: My sister has crocus and daffodils blooming in Idaho. I received a wonderful e-mail today with photos
of the flowers in bloom ! PS: Also saw a hummingbird at my mom's house this past weekend.

Lynda

[LyndaLu]

Why does the date on my last post say March 21st, when it is really March 20th ?

Lynda

[LyndaLu]

Dear Diary:

A happy story for today, I found a puppy dog at my apartment complex
and I was able to contact the owner for them to pick up their puppy at my apartment.
That was a pretty good feeling !

I used to volunteer at the Arizona Humane Society
for a while and that has brought me closer to animals in an emotional way. So far I
have rescued two stray dogs and a stray cat. Plus now I have returned a puppy to its owner.

I volunteered at the Arizona Humane Society for a short while in the spay and neuter clinic.
That was a four hour shift and was quite hard work. I cleaned instruments. I also washed
lots of blankets and towels ! Whew. I found that that was not really the volunteer opportunity
I was looking for.

Then I started to foster animals in my own home and that was very
rewarding. I took them into my own apartment and took care of them until they gained
weight, or until they were done with all of their shots, or until they could be spayed/neutered.
The average stay for a puppy at my apartment was 4-5 weeks. Then they went back to the
shelter to be adopted. I took care of the puppies like they were my own.

My last foster was a mother cat and three NEWBORN kittens. This was the most interesting seven
weeks of my life. I actually watched the little babies grow up, amazing. They were three crazy
kitties in a small apartment. After seven weeks the kittens were ready to be
spayed/neutered and ready to be adopted. The momma cat was spayed and put up for
adoption. ( I got to name all of the kittens and puppies and that was quite fun too. )

The hardest part of fostering was becoming emotionally
attached to the animals and then having to give them up.
I still sometimes cry about my "babies" and I really do miss them. I no longer
volunteer for the Arizona Humane Society, but the time that I spent helping them really
did help ME too in the long run. It gave me quite a bit of experience that I never had
before then.

Lynda

[LyndaLu]

Dear Diary:

Another good thing for today. Two things in one day !

I received a letter in the mail from the Department of Economic Security /
Unemployment Insurance Department. There has been a lot going on with the
Federal Government and the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.
The program was dropped while congress was trying to decide what to do.
This was in February 2012. Now I get a letter that tells me that I qualify for 13
more weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation money and I am
quite happy about that, it could not have come at a better time. My LAST
unemployment "check" was the last week of February and it is now March 22nd.
I am very happy about the 13 week extension. The weekly "check" is not
a lot of money, but I sure need every dime I can get my hands on to pay bills.
My sister won't have to send me any more money for a while now since I
will be getting an "income" for the next 13 weeks ( on until I find a full-time job ).

Lynda

[LyndaLu]

Dear Diary:

I am writing to myself here, ha ha . Anyhow, my basketball game starts any
moment now. A couple of years ago I started to watch professional basketball on
television.I even went to some of the games in person at our arena here in town,
that was a blast ! The first year I watched, my team made it to the playoffs and that was
quite exciting.
That first season I watched was so exciting. I did not miss watching a single game.
When I traveled out of town I had to find a way to watch all of the games.
I would watch the games on my television at home and yell and scream at the television set .
I was quite connected with the games that year.

But now I watch the games with less vigor,
less excitement. It is not the game that has changed, it is me. I just don't enjoy
things like I used to. I really miss laughing. I just don't have any expression or
laughter in my life right now. I am looking forward to getting any type of
interest in anything back in my life right now.

I guess I am missing my excitement of the game
being played, the players, the sport. This season is a short season and only 66 games
will be played instead of 82 games because of some negotiations at the beginning of
the season. The season was supposed to start at the end of October 2011 and it did not
even start until the end of December 2011. My team did make a record the other
week with playing three games in a row back-to-back and winning all three of those
games. That was a great feat. I hope that we win tonight. Go Phoenix Suns
Saying HI to any sports fans out there !

Lynda

[tina martin]

Good news about your benefits. Maybe they also can help you to train for jobs that are available which will ease worries.

Can't help with sports. For the life of me I can't understand being this passive observer and liking it. Realize I am in the minority. Don't like to sit and be entertained either. Anything I do on my own volition is infinitely better, including reading, exercising, crocheting, writing, cooking, cleaning, thinking. Anything.