Still bored, no longer unemployed.

So my journey to go through all of my songs didn’t work out.  My iPod ran out of battery because I left it in my truck on a cold, cold night.  So not good!

The good news?  I found a job! It was about time!  It is not using my degree or anything, but it’s paying the bills. It is Monday through Friday from 10-7 and yes, it’s boring. I am a button-pusher. I click here, check there, verify this, approve that.  Look at this, match that, scroll here, stamp there, edit that.  Boring indeed!

Even better news? I took my content exam for my alternative certification and I passed. Woo hoo! My goal now is to take another exam and hope to land a teaching job by this Fall.  When that happens, I will no longer be a button-pusher, perhaps a paper-pusher?  I don’t know, but I know it will be great!

Since I now have a job, my blog will change. From Bored and Unemployed, to Post Grad, which is what I wanted to change it to before. Greatness!

Day One

So yeah, I got lost.  I knew it!  I was up before the rooster, seriously, but that didn’t help me AT ALL.  I thought I was ready and well informed, but that wasn’t so. 

5:30 a.m.:  Rise and shine, sunshine!  Get ready.  Look for keys.  6:13:  Found keys. Got in the truck and followed the directions on my BlackBerry to the T and P Station of the TRE.  6:30: Found the address, but I didn’t see the train.  Drove around the T and P Lofts’ parking lot for a while.  6:40: Decided to park, go in to the T and P building and ask for directions.  Good thing I’m a girl, I wasn’t embarrassed. 

6:46:  Found the entrance and purchased my ticket.  7.50 big ones.  Cash only! Really?  Really?  6:49: Found the conductor.  Asked if I was taking the right train.  Will they tow my truck in the lofts’ parking lot?  Right train, wrong parking lot.  I only had 7 minutes to run, more of a slow sprint, back to the truck, turn it on, drive to Main St and turn on Vickery, park, sprint back to the terminal and make it on time.  Nah! 

As I wasted time thinking about the possibilities and the “should I, could I’s” of the ordeal, Mr. Conductor mentioned I could probably make it to the Richland Hills stop by 7:11 a.m. and catch the train there. 

6:56 Sped to Richland Hills.  Parked and watched my train pass by.  Noooo!!!!  I missed it, again!

I waited for the next train.  I almost missed that one too because another Mr. Conductor said it was going West, not East.  Eventually, I figured it out and boarded just before it was scheduled to leave.  Whoa!

I didn’t want to be late so I was anxiously looking at my phone to verify the time.  Next stop? Victory Station.  Next train?  The DART Green Line.  Exit in the West End.  Get lost.  Walk around the building I was supposed to enter and eventually realize my mistake. 

8:30 a.m.:  Right on time for my first day as an intern. YAY!!!  8:30-1:30:  Amazing day.  So glad for the great opportunity I have been given and ready for day two. 

1:50: Board the Green Line Rail.  Exit Victory. Board the TRE.  Exit at Richland Hills stop.  Home, sweet home.

Fortune Cookie

I sit here on the eve of my first internship and am a bit nervous.  It’s not paid and it’s not for class credit.  It is for the betterment of my career and resume. 

Since I have now been “unemployed” for over eight months now, I am grateful to have somewhere to go in the morning, something to do and something to learn.  Who knew that working for free would be so beneficial? 

Recently, I was going through some of my old things and out of nowhere, a fortune, from a fortune cookie, fell to the floor.  I picked it up.  Read it.  Thought about it.  Then read it again.  Yes, this in deed was a fortune.  It said, “Now is the time to try something new.”  And trying something new I will. 

As part of a trend of “firsts,” I will also be riding the TRE for the first time.  The TRE is the Trinity Railway Express and it will save me the trouble of driving all the way to far Dallas from Fort Worth.  It is a godsend because I would probably get lost and be late, and I hate being late, to my first day at M Strategies, the wonderful public relations firm that is giving me the opportunity to intern with them.  Thank you M Strategies!!!

Tomorrow I will begin my first internship, I will ride the TRE for the first time and I will get up the earliest I have gotten up in eight months.  Wish me luck!

Dear BlackBerry

Dear BlackBerry,

I apologize for not taking great care of you and for taking you for granted.  I took my eyes off you for a second and you slipped into the deep end of my glass of water.  It took me a couple of seconds to realize what had happened and as soon as I did, I took you out of the hands of your nemesis, H2O, and in a tech-y kind of way, I gave you CPR.  But when I saw your screen turn completely white, I realized it was over. 

I didn’t want to go out without a fight so I took your battery out and quickly shook and dried you to remove the excess water.  It didn’t seem to help.  It was heartbreaking to realize that you were no longer here. 

All my e-mails would have to be checked through my laptop, my Facebook status would not be updated two to three times a day, I couldn’t check the weather, I couldn’t Google anything, no text messages would go in or out, no phone calls, no connection to the outside world.

Realizing that I had been defeated and that I no longer had you around, I shed a few tears and regretted that I didn’t take as much care of you as I should have.  Swimming lessons? Nah! Waterproof case?  Nah! I should have just left you in my purse. 

A day later, I remembered that I had a small backup phone stored in my boxes from my old apartment and I began my journey to retrieve what I had once considered my “ghetto phone.”  It had now become my saviour.  Although it took some maneuvering on my part to power it on, it worked.  I just couldn’t hang up, the end key wasn’t working.  Nonetheless, it was on. 

About three and a half, maybe four days after the “incident” occurred, I wanted to try one last time to power you on.  I had tried it before, but you didn’t work and now, I saw a ray of hope.  Your little red light turned on.  A few seconds later, the white screen that I had once dreaded showed up.  I didn’t get my hopes up but a few minutes later, you went to the home screen.

A Christmas Miracle had occurred.  You came back to life, you now worked!  I was beyond excited and grateful.  Thank you for coming back!! Words really can’t express how much I am thankful that you came back to me.  I wouldn’t have been able to properly replace you anytime soon and now I don’t have to. 

E-mail after e-mail kept coming in and that was the best sight for sore eyes.  I promise to take care of you and I promise not to have you around any sort of liquid.  OK? OK!

Best,

Vee

Oh, the torture!!

Hello.  My name is Virginia.

“Hi Virginia.”

…and I have been job-free for four months now. 

This would be the time where everyone would begin clapping IF I were in an addict support group.    

I wish I was back out there in the real world, the ‘working’ world.  I need a job and I need to stop being reminded, everyday, of how job-less and broke I really am. 

Yesterday, one of my good friends, but I don’t want to say any names, ROLO, asked me to be his fashion advisor and go with him to buy a sports jacket that he needed for next weekend.  Since I was home, had nothing to do and nowhere to go, I decided to accept the invitation.  Little did I know that this outing would take six, almost seven, hours and would cross city limits. 

Noon: we went to eat lunch in the Lake Worth area.  1 p.m.: went to Kohl’s.  1:30-ish: walked over to Marshall’s.  2 p.m.: walked back, in the HUMID weather, to the truck and headed towards Northeast Mall.  2:20-ish: made a pit stop to pump some gas.  2:30: drove by the mall and almost died while pulling into a parking lot’s exit by the creek.

2:32-3:15: spent some time in a men’s clothing store being hounded by a very aggressive sales guy.   3:15 : walked out without buying anything.  I refuse to let my friend give them an arm and a leg for a jacket he will probably only wear once.

3:15-4:45-ish: drove to Arlington to find a K and G store that, by the way, had been closed because of the shooting of a manager by a disgruntled female employee, according to a guy who worked at the Sears outlet we luckily stopped at for location reference.  That “source” deserves a medal because he guided us to the closest K and G store.  5 – 6:25 p.m.: finally arrived at the hard-to-find store and waited for him to find the “right” sports jacket.  After finding the right jacket, I looked for some shirts to go with it and then I proceeded to wait again until he tried them on and I gave my opinion, showed him to the register and finally, I took a breath of fresh air.

I felt like I was trapped inside retail jail for the whole day and was then released early for good behavior, like I was an addict made to sit in a room full of drugs without being able to try any of them, like a broke alcoholic in a liquor store.

Oh, the torture of being broke and having to go shopping knowing that you can’t buy anything and purses and shoes galore!  Hey, at least I got a meal out of it and my good deed for the day was done. 

Disclaimer:  Times are NOT accurate, I don’t think, except the start and end times.

5th Annual Latina Art Show

For the past couple of months, I have been using my Tuesday nights wisely.  From 6:30 to 7:30 pm, I have been attending the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas-FW meetings for the 5th Annual Latina Art Show. 

I have learned a great deal and I had no idea how much work went into planning an event of this magnitude, from flyers, invitations, letters, donations to public relations, meetings, conference calls and my favorite, research.

As part of my news writing class in my last semester in school, I wrote a story about the art show and was interested in it, so this year, I decided I wanted to be a part of it.  Cool, huh?  Yeah, I thought so. 

The HWNT_FW is dedicated to fundraising and awarding scholarships to graduating ladies so they could pursue their higher education and that’s why the Latina Art Show is such a BIG deal. 

The HWNT_FW takes art donations as well as other miscellaneous items and then auctions them off.  Donations of all kinds are accepted up until September 16th and the event will take place on Saturday, September 26th at the Rose Marine Theater at 6 pm.  There will be live music by Aurora Bleu and lots of art, lots and lots of art.

So come and support what I have been doing during my time of unemployment.  It really is a great cause and a lot of work went into it.  Let me know if you want more information on this, whether you are artist who wants to donate or are interested in attending and possibly bidding on an item.

Oh, and did you know the art will be on display the whole week beginning on September 21st?  Well, you know now, so go check it out before the big event.

With the right tools…

OK, so I have been out of work for almost four months.  Sad, I know, but it has freed me up to do a lot of things, of which I have only done a couple.  I am volunteering my time to the Union Gospel Mission and to the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas-Fort Worth chapter for their 5th annual Latina Art Show.  I am also helping out around the house a whole lot more.  Seriously, I have become like the family’s “Cinderella.”

 Well, along with my domestic duties, my mom decided to paint the house.  Guess who was in charge!  Yes, yours truly.

I drove around to different stores to compare paint prices, which I could have done online, I picked out the color, moved all the furniture and even managed to get paint all over my hair.  As I looked through the paint supplies,  I noticed this weird, squared, small and handheld little gadget.  Little did I know that it would become the MVP of the whole show.  It was the SHUR-LINE Paint Edger.

It was used to paint the edges of walls, to the side, the bottom and the top by the ceiling without getting that dreaded mark from the roller. It produced a straight edge on EVERYTHING!  I truly believe that little gadget is what kept my painting from being mediocre and it prevented me from having to go back and repainting where the roller accidentally hit. 

Originally, I was only going to paint the back room and the living room.  I later added the hallway as well and once my dad got home, he said something I just didn’t want to hear in the tired, sore, half-zombied state I was in.  He said, “It looks good.  You should do the kitchen next.”

Noooooooo!!!!  Not more work!  But, coming from a guy to whom everything is done wrong and to whom you can’t voice your ideas to because only his ideas are the way to go and only he knows how to do it correctly, it was a great compliment.  It really did look great if I do say so myself.  It almost looked professional, almost… and all thanks to the eight world wonder, the paint edger.

It just goes to show you that with the right tools, you really can do anything.  Woo hoo!!

The real Post Grad

So, in anticipation of this new movie, Post Grad, I have stopped to look at my life.  Maybe I should wait on that and just watch my life on the big screen.

Post Grad, a movie that recently came out in theatres, is about a recent college grad who has to move back in with her parents and struggles finding a job after going to several interviews.  Well, move over Alexis Bledel, that movie was made from my life, and sadly, many others’ lives. 

I too am a recent college graduate, had to move back in with my parents and have been on several nerve-racking interviews and am still unemployed.  I am even starting to think that college was a waste of time.  Maybe I should have skipped my pursuit of higher education and stayed working full time.  Who knows, maybe I could have been manager somewhere by now, or better yet, at least still had a job. 

Nowadays, if you have a job, you are considered LUCKY in my book. 

It’s sad that a college degree can’t really do much.  It used to be that if you had a degree, you were set.  Now?  Who knows, maybe you need a Master’s degree but who has the money to go back to school if you can’t even find a job?

I hope my “post grad” life gets better.  I need to pay off my student loans!!!

I am thinking of changing my blog name to “Post Grad.”  Fitting, don’t you think?  Vee’s Blog was only temporary anyways.  Do you think I will get sued for copyright?  I should know this.

Make it a Redbox night.

So what has happened to hitting up your neighborhood monopoly, Blockbuster, and making it a movie night?  If you ask me, it has gone extinct.  I haven’t stepped foot inside a Blockbuster store in more than five months.  Why, you ask?  Well, like many others,  I have discovered the HUGE convenienve that is Redbox. 

Redbox is the newest trend amongst movie renters.  These red boxes are mostly, if not all, located at 7-Elevens and Wal Marts.  You select a movie through the touch screen, swipe your credit or debit card and your movie pops out from the side.  The first time I used this great machine, I was in awe of how easy renting a film was, and now, it is a commodity.  All I had to do was enter my e-mail address and my zip code. 

Because of today’s economy, when you can pay less for something, why not do it?  Renting a movie at these awesome little reb boxes only costs you a dollar a night.  You have to return the movie by 9 p.m. the next day and if you choose to keep it an extra night, you still only pay ONE DOLLAR per night. 

New DVD releases go into each box every Tuesday.  For more information or to locate a Redbox near you, check out their website.  You never know, it may save you money on your entertainment needs.  So the next time you want to make it a movie night, why not make it a Redbox night?  It’s good for the economy and your wallet.  Just watch out for the mobs of people around 9 p.m. all trying to return their rentals.

PS  You can even check for special offers and see which Redbox location has the movie you are looking for.

I spent 50 cents at the movies! Yeah, really!

OK, so staying home has become rather tedious.  It is driving me insane and to get my mind off the job search, I decided to go to the “dollar” movies with my family.  Little did I know, everybody and their momma had the same idea.  So, it’s Monday evening and we go to purchase our tickets.

“Four for “Drag Me To Hell” please.”

“Two dollars.”

“Awesome!!!”

You can’t beat paying 5o cents to watch a movie on the big screen, even if the movie did suck.  I recommend checking out your local “dollar” movies and use that as your movie theatre for a while.  The movies will be a bit old, but who says you have to watch a movie as soon as it comes out?  No one!  You know what I heard on a DirecTv commercial?  That when you go to the movies with your family of five, you pay for the same movie five times.  True story.  I never thought about it that way, but it makes total sense.

This theater is Cinemark Movies 8 and is located in North Richland Hills right off of loop 820 and Grapevine Highway.  However, I believe that on Mondays it is 50cents per person if you buy tickets for three or more people.  Either way, it is a great buy.

So to save money in this struggling economy, hit up your bargain theatres but on a day that it’s not as crowded.  Also, check out the new Redbox option.  More to come on that next.