Anal Retentive job Seeker

I'm sure most of you can relate to this, but when I am given "free time", I tend to fill it frantically getting organized...which is a little weird, since all my friends attribute me with being the most anal-retentive person they know. However offended I am by that label, I really do wear it well. Here is just a sampling of the projects that I've done since being home (this is the 3rd week):
A) Cleaned my daughter's dresser, closet and toy-chest--this resulted in about 20 bags to the Goodwill (and mind you, I perform this act of mercy every 6 months in her room! Must be an only-child/grandchild thing, but she would open her own FAO Schwartz)
B) Same as above for my closet, plus my husband's toy chest (AKA, the garage)
C) Our pantry is spotless and food groups arranged, all labels turned forward in the canned goods section (Yes, I DID see "Sleeping With the Enemy" and realize how psychotic it sounds)
D) Cleaned the fridges--all 3 of them
E) Cooked real meals and baked several dozen cookies, plus volunteered to assist my daughter's teacher in her classroom. Twice.

I have also had lunch meetings or interviews nearly every day, or made some type of networking contact, and have a third interview today with a company I am dying to work for, so say a little prayer for me. My family, I know is sending good energy my way too--Mostly so I focus on something else besides arranging shoes face forward, by color!

Looking forward to a Brand New Year!

After a crazy year of love and loss, the cherry on top of 2008 was that my position was eliminated at my small company that gave me a ton of work/life balance, which I anticipated but am still a bit flustered over. However, on that front, I have 5 interviews this week and a bunch of lunch dates with headhunters/professional contacts, so will be re-employed soon (I gotta have faith, as the wise George Michael said in the 80's!)

More daunting is that one of my best friends is going through a potential breast cancer scare, results will be in tomorrow. Her family and all her friends will be on pins and needles all day just waiting to get her diagnosis, so if you believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking, please send some good energy out to the universe that this strong woman gets good news.

I plan to see 2009 as a year of new opportunities and challenge, of rebirth and finding the good in almost all people and concentrating on my core values, family and friends. I wish all of you a year of finding the silver lining too, thank you for your thoughts and prayers for a fantastic woman, mother and friend.

Social Networking Sites

I just sent a boatload of Linked In invitations to the Women @ Work Network group and am curious to know if you think social networking sites are all they're cracked up to be for making professional and personal contacts to share ideas, ask career advice, maybe get a new position. What are some others you use and what for? Thanks for your thoughts!

Happy Holidays (YIKES!!)

Holy Cats, where did the year go? I just looked up some dates for business travel on my calendar and realized that Thanksgiving is two short weeks away, and that means Christmas is spot on its heels. It's time to get my groove on and start getting ready for good tidings/the holiday party circuit.

Like many others, we are going to have a much more low-key holiday this year. Instead of copious piles of gifts, I'd like to spend my hard earned money on making memories, which are likely to stay with my precious daughter a lot longer than the latest Barbie (has anyone noticed that Barbie dolls of late either look like strippers or cross-dressers?? What happened to moderation in Mattel make-up!?)

I'm going to look into renting a little log cabin for my family to spend a night or two and we're going to celebrate without TV. WOW, maybe we'll even try it without electricity, and rely on our gas heated lamp and a roaring fire after building a snowman and having hot chocolate, just like our ancestors celebrated Christmas before a kid could watch 24/7 cartoons on Noggin. Who am I kidding? With all the great DVDs coming out, we'll probably spend our evenings curled up watching Kung Fu Panda.

How will you be spending the holidays this year? Love to hear what you're Thankful for as well. Now get on out there and make some Merry :)

Time Out

Hi Friends in the Blog World! Unfortuntely, I am recuperating from an unexpected gall bladder surgery that completely took me by surprise. Be back in the saddle soon~

Choosing your Attitude

This week at work, two of my co-workers came into my office in tears--one to tell me that her spouse had been laid off from his job of 10 years and the other to advise it was the anniversary of her brother's death, both asked for some patience while they lost their composure.

One of these co-workers, the one who lost her brother, stayed to talk with me about his untimely passing, but ultimately recalled how having him in her life was a huge blessing and she related some endearing family stories and coincidences that showed her that his spirit was still with her all the time--for instance, the first anniversary of his death, a stray puppy met her at the door and she took him in, believing it was a sign from her brother that life is for the living, take time for joy.

The other co-worker took a couple hours off, then came back with resolve to see the situation as dire as anything she had been through and plans to take the baby out of daycare, sell their house and sell as many possessions as possible...then proceeded to tell me of the generous severance he received, the outplacement services he was getting and the fact that they had more than a year's worth of savings to live off of; yet, she persisted that her entire life, as she knew it, was over.

It just reminded me that one chooses her attitude when life throws you a basket of poop and you're forced to show what you're made of--I know everyone is wired differently, optimistic versus pessimistic, but it really laid it out for me that when we wake up every day, we can look at the day as a new challenge or as a death knell. My advice to the latter co-worker was to shut off CNN, quit surfing the Net for all its economic horror stories, then relax with her daughter. Smell her hair and watch her toddle around the grass for awhile. Breathe. Because if I know one thing it is that this, too, shall pass.

Perchance to Dream

For the last year, I have had the 1st draft of a book written. It's funny, insightful and I have no doubt that it would make an excellent movie starring Courtney Cox or Jennifer Aniston (heck, the whole cast of "Friends" could make a cameo!) Problem is, only about 35 pages are actually written down, as I cannot find the time to take my brain, squeeze it out and get this on paper. The other problem is, the book is based on my life as a HR executive (seriously, I have some hysterical stories, not as boring as it seems here in HR!), so hiring a ghost writer really isn't feasible. SO, I am torn...
In this economic train-wreck we are all living in, it isn't remotely responsible to think about leaving a FT position to write this book. I am a dreamer with feet made of clay, plus there are mouthes to feed and mortgages to pay, whether Courtney Cox is interested in starring as me or not. So, my fellow friends that work FT and have live as crazy as mine, do any of you have a passion you are pursuing while spinning a hundred plates? How do you do it? And don't be gentle with me, I need some serious boot-camp drill seargant motivation here--thanks and ANY suggestions appreciated!