Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Will it EVER stop raining?
It's really looking like it might not.
Someone pointed out to me the other day, that I don't update this thing very often. So true. To be perfectly honest, my first love is art. Hence the title of the blog. So if I don't feel like committing to writing about a particular topic, I tend to stay away altogether and I just post my latest paintings on facebook. I am going to open an Etsy store, don't know if that will get me anywhere or not, but it's worth a shot. I've been doing some smaller, simpler pieces I can sell at a lower price point, so maybe I'll try marketing those for awhile. My job search for a better job is not fleshing out as well as I would like. I will keep trying, though. I want a good job this time.
I was on a site recently where a bunch of us were listing the types of jobs we have had, and I realized that most of my jobs have been really crappy. And in most of them, I worked for terrible people. I would like to have a good job before I die. It would be nice to know the feeling of actually liking my work. Not that I've hated every single job, but I've been able to talk myself up into being able to find all of them tolerable. Telling myself that everyone has jobs they don't like something about, and they are necessary and I will get through it. So what I want is a job that I like, believe in, and that treats me well. One time. One time, because I'll be 52 next week and I'm hoping if I find the right job, that it will be the one I retire from. Although being unemployed right now, I kind of am retired, except I spend a lot of time looking for jobs online because I feel I should work at this age. At least until my youngest is out of college and on his own.
So mostly I'm looking for work, trying to get my housework done, chase after the puppy, and painting as much as possible and putting the work in a few different places so that it's seen in various locations around town. Oh, and eating every 3 hours in an effort to lose weight on Medifast, which I unaffectionately call "space food". Which for the past couple weeks seems to be remarkably unaffective. Also my back is killing me. Lord, I'm just a joy, aren't I?
I'll try to continue here with a little more regularity and put some more pics on here. The pics are tricky here though, so no promises.
Someone pointed out to me the other day, that I don't update this thing very often. So true. To be perfectly honest, my first love is art. Hence the title of the blog. So if I don't feel like committing to writing about a particular topic, I tend to stay away altogether and I just post my latest paintings on facebook. I am going to open an Etsy store, don't know if that will get me anywhere or not, but it's worth a shot. I've been doing some smaller, simpler pieces I can sell at a lower price point, so maybe I'll try marketing those for awhile. My job search for a better job is not fleshing out as well as I would like. I will keep trying, though. I want a good job this time.
I was on a site recently where a bunch of us were listing the types of jobs we have had, and I realized that most of my jobs have been really crappy. And in most of them, I worked for terrible people. I would like to have a good job before I die. It would be nice to know the feeling of actually liking my work. Not that I've hated every single job, but I've been able to talk myself up into being able to find all of them tolerable. Telling myself that everyone has jobs they don't like something about, and they are necessary and I will get through it. So what I want is a job that I like, believe in, and that treats me well. One time. One time, because I'll be 52 next week and I'm hoping if I find the right job, that it will be the one I retire from. Although being unemployed right now, I kind of am retired, except I spend a lot of time looking for jobs online because I feel I should work at this age. At least until my youngest is out of college and on his own.
So mostly I'm looking for work, trying to get my housework done, chase after the puppy, and painting as much as possible and putting the work in a few different places so that it's seen in various locations around town. Oh, and eating every 3 hours in an effort to lose weight on Medifast, which I unaffectionately call "space food". Which for the past couple weeks seems to be remarkably unaffective. Also my back is killing me. Lord, I'm just a joy, aren't I?
I'll try to continue here with a little more regularity and put some more pics on here. The pics are tricky here though, so no promises.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
...And another thing!
You know, people on facebook really piss me off when they are constantly bitching about what Americans are supposed to be doing about the war, the tsunami, the school system, the art community, blah blah blah. What are they doing? Going to their jobs at Starbucks and bitching about what all the rest of us are supposed to be doing.
Be a part of the change you want to see, people.
Be a part of the change you want to see, people.
Do I really want to work?
So, I'm about 4 months unemployed now. I've been looking for work online, mostly with the state for the superior benefits package they have, which is mostly why I worked in the first place. So far I haven't really gotten any nibbles, but I'm not giving up. I'm also shopping for cheaper health insurance, since $1400 plus per month really seems like a lot to me.
What I'm noticing is that many employers are really taking advantage of the poor job market to require lots of experience without actually paying the usual wage for that type of experience. Yes, there are Phd's out of work, but that doesn't mean they want to make 10 bucks an hour. Or that they can afford to. You can make more on unemployment. It reminds me of my brief (very brief) adventure working for a dentist. At the time, I was living in CT and working at a beauty supply factory. Divina, it was called. They manufactured shampoos, hydrogen peroxide, cream rinse, etc. I was the floor foreman. I was making $7 per hour (it was over 20 years ago), but after working there for 2 months I was making more than the people who had been there for 20 years and worked the lines. Frankly, I found it very depressing. So I applied for a job with a dentist. When he called to offer the job, he didn't discuss pay. He assured me that we'd be able to come to an agreement and I would be happy with it.
Not being a total trusting idiot, I called in sick to the factory for my first day of working with the dentist so I would have a job to go back to if it didn't work out. I know, it's lousy, but I had to look out for myself. Besides, this factory was a place where sometimes new hires would ask where the bathroom was and never come back. It wasn't Intel, that's for sure. Anyway, I went in to work for the dr. First I was given my instructions on where to park (a pay lot, $20 per week, my responsibility), then I was told what to wear (white nursing clothes I would have to buy). Then they showed me how we jump out to the waiting room whenever it was empty to straighten magazines, etc. Then type dictated referral letters, answer the phones, fill out the charts, yada yada. Oh, and when not busy, clean the bathrooms. And by the way, at the doctors' command SCRUB UP AND ASSIST. Which none of them, and I, was definitely not qualified to do.
Apparently, this did not matter. I was pretty freaked out about that.
So at the end of this very long day, the dentist calls me into his office, he asks me how I enjoyed it, I blow smoke up his ass, and then he offers me $7 per hour. Um, no thanks. I told him that wasn't going to work for me. So I left, and he went out and got into his convertible Mercedes and went home, I assume, or to his girlfriends' house or something.
I guess the point I'm making is that lots of employers are really really cheap. And it's getting worse in times like these.
Maybe I'll get a paper route.
What I'm noticing is that many employers are really taking advantage of the poor job market to require lots of experience without actually paying the usual wage for that type of experience. Yes, there are Phd's out of work, but that doesn't mean they want to make 10 bucks an hour. Or that they can afford to. You can make more on unemployment. It reminds me of my brief (very brief) adventure working for a dentist. At the time, I was living in CT and working at a beauty supply factory. Divina, it was called. They manufactured shampoos, hydrogen peroxide, cream rinse, etc. I was the floor foreman. I was making $7 per hour (it was over 20 years ago), but after working there for 2 months I was making more than the people who had been there for 20 years and worked the lines. Frankly, I found it very depressing. So I applied for a job with a dentist. When he called to offer the job, he didn't discuss pay. He assured me that we'd be able to come to an agreement and I would be happy with it.
Not being a total trusting idiot, I called in sick to the factory for my first day of working with the dentist so I would have a job to go back to if it didn't work out. I know, it's lousy, but I had to look out for myself. Besides, this factory was a place where sometimes new hires would ask where the bathroom was and never come back. It wasn't Intel, that's for sure. Anyway, I went in to work for the dr. First I was given my instructions on where to park (a pay lot, $20 per week, my responsibility), then I was told what to wear (white nursing clothes I would have to buy). Then they showed me how we jump out to the waiting room whenever it was empty to straighten magazines, etc. Then type dictated referral letters, answer the phones, fill out the charts, yada yada. Oh, and when not busy, clean the bathrooms. And by the way, at the doctors' command SCRUB UP AND ASSIST. Which none of them, and I, was definitely not qualified to do.
Apparently, this did not matter. I was pretty freaked out about that.
So at the end of this very long day, the dentist calls me into his office, he asks me how I enjoyed it, I blow smoke up his ass, and then he offers me $7 per hour. Um, no thanks. I told him that wasn't going to work for me. So I left, and he went out and got into his convertible Mercedes and went home, I assume, or to his girlfriends' house or something.
I guess the point I'm making is that lots of employers are really really cheap. And it's getting worse in times like these.
Maybe I'll get a paper route.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Snowpocalypse!!!
That's right, SNOW! In the winter, no less!!
Yes. I am being a smartass. It's just that our local news station has been talking about the snow, the snow, the snow, for about 3 days now. We got about an inch which melted off before noon today. I don't mind the snow for me, but I hate that my kids have to drive in it to get to work. You have to understand that around here, we just don't get much severe weather and this little bit makes people crazy on the road. People that will be driving around with MY BABIES on the road! Whew. Calm down, momma bear. I feel better now.
I actually am happy that there's snow on the mountains because I haven't been skiing enough this year. The thing I don't like about winter is how crappy everything looks in the mud with the dead leaves and ick. While on my walk today, one of my neighbors had something on their lawn that was either a used pantiliner, or the insole of a ballet shoe, neither of which I am anxious to know the history of.
On an unrelated note, I am still looking for a job probably not hard enough, but whatever. I worked at a job I hated for 15 years solid, give me a break. I have sold some paintings. As a matter of fact I just sold the one that is on the beginning of this blog, the one with the leaves. Which I didn't even want to sell, I painted it for the front desk area of my friends' salon. So I had to paint another very similar one for them to replace it. I also decided against displaying paintings with the art association for now. That's a whole other post, though.
Yes. I am being a smartass. It's just that our local news station has been talking about the snow, the snow, the snow, for about 3 days now. We got about an inch which melted off before noon today. I don't mind the snow for me, but I hate that my kids have to drive in it to get to work. You have to understand that around here, we just don't get much severe weather and this little bit makes people crazy on the road. People that will be driving around with MY BABIES on the road! Whew. Calm down, momma bear. I feel better now.
I actually am happy that there's snow on the mountains because I haven't been skiing enough this year. The thing I don't like about winter is how crappy everything looks in the mud with the dead leaves and ick. While on my walk today, one of my neighbors had something on their lawn that was either a used pantiliner, or the insole of a ballet shoe, neither of which I am anxious to know the history of.
On an unrelated note, I am still looking for a job probably not hard enough, but whatever. I worked at a job I hated for 15 years solid, give me a break. I have sold some paintings. As a matter of fact I just sold the one that is on the beginning of this blog, the one with the leaves. Which I didn't even want to sell, I painted it for the front desk area of my friends' salon. So I had to paint another very similar one for them to replace it. I also decided against displaying paintings with the art association for now. That's a whole other post, though.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Hello, Old Friend
Well, it's been quite a long time since I've been here. Since the last time I checked in and imported my archived blog posts here, I was laid off from my job of 15 years, my last remaining dog (Gunnar, such a good boy) passed away from lymphoma, and my youngest son moved to Seattle to go to school (but really, I think, because he wanted to move out with his buddies and try life on his own. Which I get).
All of which sucks, except the being unemployed part is not the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Having to pay for family health insurance with no help from an employer is hard to swallow, but other than that, I'm doing a lot of painting, little things around the house, and exercising more. But I am looking for another job, hopefully one that I enjoy more and is less stressful. I don't care much what it pays as long as they have good benefits. I'm selling paintings, too. The first one on this blog page (the leaves) just sold a few days ago, as a matter of fact.
I sold a painting through the art association, but after they take their huge commissions, I don't make much. So I've decided not to deal with them anymore. I'd like to be civic minded, but they charge us to be members, charge us to display our work, take 30-40% commission on gallery sales, and then ask us to volunteer at the gallery once a month, plus show up at the stupid receptions which frankly, I'd sooner have a colonoscopy. So yeah, done with that. There are other places that are happy to have stuff on the walls and don't charge me to display there, and they don't give me size limitations or criteria I must adhere to. Which is very freeing.
Since this blogsite is a little more user friendly than the last one, I hope to keep this one more up to date and have more pictures on here. Cya!
All of which sucks, except the being unemployed part is not the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Having to pay for family health insurance with no help from an employer is hard to swallow, but other than that, I'm doing a lot of painting, little things around the house, and exercising more. But I am looking for another job, hopefully one that I enjoy more and is less stressful. I don't care much what it pays as long as they have good benefits. I'm selling paintings, too. The first one on this blog page (the leaves) just sold a few days ago, as a matter of fact.
I sold a painting through the art association, but after they take their huge commissions, I don't make much. So I've decided not to deal with them anymore. I'd like to be civic minded, but they charge us to be members, charge us to display our work, take 30-40% commission on gallery sales, and then ask us to volunteer at the gallery once a month, plus show up at the stupid receptions which frankly, I'd sooner have a colonoscopy. So yeah, done with that. There are other places that are happy to have stuff on the walls and don't charge me to display there, and they don't give me size limitations or criteria I must adhere to. Which is very freeing.
Since this blogsite is a little more user friendly than the last one, I hope to keep this one more up to date and have more pictures on here. Cya!
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