I can't believe it's March tomorrow...

Seriously. Where does the time go? I wanted this year to be full of events and activities. I wanted to go on trips, visit friends in far away places. I wanted to grow little arm muscles and go on Saturday morning jogs followed by coffee on the front porch. I wanted days at the river with my dog, hopping on rocks and enjoying the sun on my face.

So, what has happened? Well, I went to the river yesterday for the first time this year. The weather was amazing. 80 degrees. I went with my buddy David and his dog, and we got down there and there were so many people. People everywhere, on every rock, dogs running all over the place, kids running all over the place. People were smoking pot. Drinking beer and throwing the cans in the water.  Being sketchy. Being loud. Being southern. I will make no apologies for the fact that I wanted all those people to fall into a pit of molten lava. Maybe not the kids and the dogs, but for the most part I was completely out of my element, so pissed at all the people, all their trash on the ground, in the water. Luckily my friend David is as sketched out by crowds and idiocy as I am, so I didn't feel too bad about cutting the trip short. But it made me really sad, and really miss living in a place where people had respect for their surroundings, for the world around them. Sad that I didn't live in a place where folks had a different type of pride. 

As far as the rest of it goes, well, I need to get on it. I started jogging again in the last few weeks, then got sick. I am going to try again in a few days after this cough settles down. Arm muscles are teeny right now. Flab is much more obvious at this point. Ugh.

Also, I am doing everything I possibly can to get this job. One of my bosses called me in to tell me that she just finished a 30 minute conversation with the organization, speaking as a reference. She thought it sounded good. She apparently told them that they needed to hire me. Ha. And if that wasn't enough, I decided to show up at a fundraiser for a different non-profit organization, and part of my reason for going was that I would probably run into the executive director at the fundraiser...which I did. We had a nice chat, she said she had to call my main boss still (which is great, since they have known each other for almost 30 years....) but that I should be hearing from them soon. I tried to be awesome. I think I was successful, because she said some things I interpreted as a thinly veiled affirmation that I have the job. I might have made that up though.

So, apparently the rule for finding work is 1. Make sure you know someone who knows a lot of people, and 2. Stalk your potential future employers.

Also, I am making a new commitment to the month of March: March,  I am going to do great things in you.

By the way...

I am totally sick, though it could have been worse. Basically I have a low grade fever and a horrible cough and general achiness and lethargy.  In my youth I used to fight off such ailments with echinacea and goldenseal and other bitter plants. Now I take generic mainstream cough syrup. In fact, I just take swigs from the bottle. I don't measure. I use sickness as an excuse to use cough syrup in a recreational manner. So, a few moments ago I took some swigs of the nighttime version of cough syrup. I will be asleep within the hour.

I will probably not go to work tomorrow, but I am setting my alarm just in case.

I am not...

I am not getting sick. I am not getting sick. I am not getting sick.

Everyone around me either has the flu, a respiratory infection, a sinus infection, the common cold or even tonsillitis. I started with a funny feeling in my throat this afternoon, and soon after the teeny coughs started. I can feel my throat getting tighter. But, I am not getting sick.

But I have been sleeping with the windows open the last few nights. There are some perks to living in the south. 

le week

I have to confess that my weekly to do list has suffered greatly over the last two weeks, but especially this week. I was doing pretty good until Thursday, and then I started to pretend that there was no list. I didn't floss, I didn't do my exercises or keep up with Rosetta Stone. In order to catch up today, I will have to 120 arm exercises, 40 push ups, 200 crunches, and an hour of cardio. I will also have to do 7 Rosetta Stone lessons. I will have to floss 4 times today. I also haven't applied for a job this week, nor did I last week. Ugh. But mark my word, dear reader, I am going to give it the old college try!

Part of the reason for ignoring the list is that I have been working hard on my February project of taking down the brick retaining wall and clearing out the beds. The below pics are from different angles, but you can see that I have pulled out a bunch of the overgrowth. I also chainsawed some trees that were growing in and around the fence between me and my neighbors yard, so I went in their yard to cut them down. I didn't take any pictures of that though.

before

after

I also tried a new recipe in my cookbook, tempeh and black-eyes pea beanballs. I had them with a side of mashed potatoes and, uh, brussel sprouts. Pretty delicious, and not too labor intensive either.

 Emma had a bath yesterday, and then immediately rolled in whatever dirt she could find: 

 

I will try to give everyone an update as the day nears it's end. I have plans to head out to the Congaree Bluffs sometime this afternoon, so, we shall see.  

Update: I managed to catch up a little on my list. I did 90 arm exercises, 40 push ups, 200 crunches, and I was able to fit in a short run (less than 2 miles). I did 4 Rosetta Stone lessons too, and I flossed. And I am done for the day and this week. I didn't finish everything, and I didn't find a job to apply to. Maybe I will get a jump start on next week with my day off tomorrow!

Interview debrief

This is how I feel during an interview.

So, I had my interview today. They have a building right downtown, a freestanding house converted to office space. There is absolutely no sign on the house indicating what it was. I peeked in the window and there wasn't anyone at the front desk, but I did see a sign which told me I was in the correct place. I went inside and looked around, and there was no one there. I called out hello a few times, looked around corners....nothing. I was a little bit early so I decided to loiter around the front before I started to get worried. And then I started to get worried. The clock struck 4, the time of my interview....and no one was there. Just after 4 I hear what was possibly the back door open and close, and then in the distance I hear someone on the phone. I called out hello a few more times. Still nothing. Awkward. Eventually I see a shadow move in the distance so I decide to just go on back into the house. I finally found a person, and it happened to be the person I needed. Apparently they didn't know the front door was unlocked and they were waiting to hear the door bell ring. What a great, flawless start to my interview!

But when the executive director and the litigation guy sat down with me, it actually went pretty well. We chatted for about an hour, and thank god they didn't ask me any cheesy interviewish questions. Well, not many at least. They asked why I wanted to leave my current job, why I wanted to work there, etc, but those questions are inevitable. The only thing that gave me pause was when they asked what experience I had in policy work....Apparently the job is heavy on policy work. I probably could have answered that one better than I did, but I really don't have any policy experience, other than knowing when policy doesn't work, specifically when it comes to criminal justice stuff. So, that one was kind of rough. Everything else went fine. Or it didn't, and I am too dense to know any better!

Anyway, they seem nice and it seems like a sweet job. I am cautiously optimistic. They said they are interviewing into next week and hope to make a decision sometime in the next 3 weeks or so. Hopefully they don't have some lobbyist coming in to interview next week, cause then I might be screwed.   Keep your fingers crossed for me, kiddos!

Stuff and junk

So, my interview is on Friday at 4PM. I am a little nervous. It's been awhile since I have interviewed anywhere, and I don't have that much experience interviewing to begin with. I haven't told that many people about it for various reasons. Only two people at work know, not including my bosses. I don't even know how much the job will pay or if it will be worth it for me to switch jobs. While my current job can be pretty stressful, it is generally a pretty good job to have. My bosses are way above average, my co-workers are for the most part above average, and I am pretty comfortable in the day to day workings of my job. I like my clients. I like negotiating. I like a lot about what I do. Obviously one needs only look a few posts back to realize that this might change on a day to day basis.

I am trying to think up answers to generic interview questions. How do you really answer the questions "what is your biggest weakness?" because that is the LAMEST question ever. Also, I don't like talking about myself much. I can talk about what I do, but I don't like talking about why I do it.

Any words of wisdom?

Work in progress...

I am out of practice when it comes to playing in the yard. It was a long day, but the weather was beautiful! Here are some pictures:

adding compost

layering of newspaper and cardboard

add some straw

ta-da!

I also dug up some old nandina plants, and that wasn't much fun. I still have a lot to do, and then there is the whole other side of the house still to deal with. But at least this part is done. I am beyond exhausted. I have to figure out a way to stay awake a few more hours so I can go to sleep. Yeah...that makes sense.

Quick update, with pictures

Today was busy. Started off with some yard work. I am still digging up bricks and trying to get all the mortar off before I place them in the raised bed surround. Here is a work in progress picture so you get the general idea:

See, the wood is laying on the bricks...

Digging the trench for the bricks.

I also stopped by Lowe's to get some manure and straw for the sheet mulching. I am hoping to get the beds built tomorrow so they can start turning into magic.

After some yard fun I got hungry and then at the perfect moment my phone rang with my friend David wanting to eat some Lamb's Bread (yummy vegan restaurant in town). We then decided to go for a hike out at the swamp with the dogs.  Emma had tons of fun.

After the swamp, I headed over to the birthday party for Jackson, Cathy's now 6 year old son.

 

Yes, that is a dragon cake.

And then Dino and I went to the courthouse to go check out his new office, cause he is getting sworn in on Monday and then he will be my awesome co-worker. 

Hopefully I can post some finished product pics tomorrow....

This week = brutal!!!

Geez, universe. Can't you cut a girl a break?

I just wanted to bitch. I don't even have the energy to bitch about anything specific. I just want to request a reprieve from the chaos. So, here it is. Pretty please, can you cut it out?

Update:
Ok. Just got an email about interviewing for the job I applied to last week. Thanks Universe. Keep it coming.

Project Brick Ditch

So, my February goal is to remove the bricks from around my house and clean up the overgrowth. Unfortunately, it's been pretty rainy and nasty all day, so my project is on hold for the moment. However, here are some pics of what it looks like and what I have done so far:

In front of the porch

Right side of the house

The loose bricks I removed

More bricks in the ground

As you can see, it is a mess. I dug the ditch all the way around so I could get to the bricks better. They seem like they will come out relatively easily. I am going to reuse the bricks as a base and surround for some raised beds. It's going to be a lot of work all together, but it needs to be done. I will update as the project progresses.

In other news, I found two local jobs to apply for this week. One of them required two letters of recommendation. I had to ask my bosses if they would write one for me, which was a little awkward. I told them I was looking around, so it isn't a big shocker. Still a little weird though. They outdid themselves with their letters though, and I feel a little sad that I will one day leave the office. They are great bosses to work for.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

My Adversary...

Some days just exhaust me, like today. Especially after yesterday.

One thing I hate most of all in this job is that I always feel like I am asking for something. I am asking for a deal for a client, I am asking a judge to grant my motion (or not to grant the state's), I am asking for bullshit charges to be dismissed, I am asking a cop to cut my guy a break, I am asking asking asking. Sometimes my ego just gets tired of it. Sometimes I end up in a screaming match with a solicitor. Sometimes I hit things in my office. I get frustrated.

In addition, my clientele is in large part a population of drug addicts, alcoholics and schizophrenics. Everyone is poor. No one has a job. Everyone has had a tough life.  I am polite. I shake their hands, which some of my co-workers refuse to do. I talk to them about their family. I ask how long they have been smoking crack, how many beers they had that morning before they came in for our appointment. It took me a while to get comfortable asking such personal questions, but it really does help my relationship with my client. Yeah, it takes  a little longer, and requires a bit more patience. I see grown men cry and cry and cry, not because they have criminal charges, but because they just don't know what else to do.  For the most part, getting caught isn't the problem.

I have clients I love and clients I love a little less. Today, for hour after hour, I heard story after story. My office smelled like cheap beer evaporating from human pores. A client who was released from the jail this afternoon shows up right at closing time without a jacket or a place to stay.  A lot of my job is social work, and I really don't mind.

Don't get me wrong, I still wash my hands a lot....

In other news, I made another recipe from my new cookbook. This one was DE-LISH! Totally a keeper, good for making a big batch at the beginning of the week:

Chopped spinach and quinoa salad, with garbanzos and homemade vinaigrette

I won't post the recipe, since it isn't mine, but if you ask me nicely I might let you borrow my book...