As I mentioned earlier, I'm supposed to check-in with the unemployment office every 90 days. Well today was my day to go. The last time I went I had to attend a training class on how to apply for a job and how to create a resume. The class was so basic that it was almost a joke. First of all I know what it means to facilitate a training class so to sit and watch this guy barely be able to read his notes made me want to jump up and facilitate the class for him. It was a seriously sad and painful thing to watch and the fact that it was scheduled to be a four hour class just made me want to blow my face off. After the first hour was over I asked to speak to the lady who was in charge of the class and told her that I knew how to create a resume and how to use a computer and didn't feel I needed to sit through the rest of the training. Since I had my teeth and a shower, I think she felt I didn't really belong there so luckily for me I was able to leave before the break ended. I couldn't leave quick enough...
I wasn't kidding about having teeth and a shower. I'm not being mean either. I am actually stating the facts of what it's like to go to the unemployment office. The office that I have to go to is in Milton, Fl which is a small town east of Pensacola. The building is filled full of people who were filing for unemployment, attending some required class or meeting with their guidance counselor like I was. The room is very small and the waiting area is a bunch of chairs connected together so it's like sitting next to someone on an airplane. One wall of the room is filled with computers for those people who don't have access to one at home. They can use those computers for free anytime during working hours and each chair had someone sitting in it. As I waited I looked around the room and realized that I was the best looking thing in there and certainly the cleanest. I was so surprised at how many people came in without a shower or without clean clothes. It was gross and the smell was worse. I was doing all I could to keep my arms from touching the person next to me. There wasn't one person in the room that was half as educated or had half the experience that I do. I thought to myself "I can understand why these people can't find a job... why the hell am I here?"
I was finally called back to see my counselor. Once at her desk, I gave her my employment search documentation that I am required to do to prove that I am actively looking for a job. She sat there for a minute looking over the detailed paperwork and then looked up at me and said "This is the most detailed organized paperwork that I have ever received." Based on who was in the lobby, I'm sure it was. :) She then wanted to know what my plan was going forward and then wanted to show me a website that might be helpful in my job search. That website was http://www.employflorida.com/ . This website doesn't just search NWFL, it searches all areas of Florida and makes it very easy to apply to other locations.
When she was trying to show me how to use the website, she asked me how to spell "hospitality" and seemed to be having a hard time typing so I asked if we could switch chairs. She agreed. I went through the website and even created a profile while I was sitting at her desk. I also showed her how to open another web page while keeping the website open which she found fascinating. After a few minutes of this silliness, we switched back to our regular seats. She looked at my paperwork again and then asked me to sign and date it. She then said that she felt I didn't need to check in or attend any more classes. She felt I knew what I was doing and said I was free to go and wished me luck in my job search.
During my hour drive home all I could think about was the people in that office. In my career I have had a few people come for an interview that were unclean, un-showered and smelling like booze and wanting me to interview them to work at the front desk. I couldn't believe someone would come to an interview like that, but now I realize that they are required to have at least two interviews a week to keep their unemployment benefits. There are so many people out there who don't really want to work and just want to screw the system. Then there's me, someone who loves to work, loved my staff, loved my job and is now stuck in the same category as these people... at least I don't have to go to that office anymore.
This is my world...
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Quote of the Day
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams
Friday, January 22, 2010
AT&T Disaster
... counting backwards... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ... breath in... breath out... OK I think I feel well enough to speak about my experience with ATT today...
I haven't had a cell phone since I lost my job. I was always provided one through my employer and didn't need to own a personal one until now. A couple of days ago I received my ATT bill for my sons cell phone and there was a note saying that we could have two lines for just $69.99 a month. I was already paying that amount to have a cell phone for him so it was like having a second line for free. I decided to call and take advantage of this deal.
Two hours later and after reviewing numerous phones on the website that the salesman felt would be perfect for me, I agreed to make the purchase of the new LG Neon. It was really important to me that any phone I bought had to be compatible with my gmail account without having to upgrade to their Internet package which would have been an additional amount of $30 a month. The salesman assured me that the new LG Neon was compatible with my gmail and even stated that he had the same phone and used it for his gmail account. He also told me that my son was eligible for an upgrade and could receive the same phone at no additional cost. Of course the $69.99 plan was just the base price with a ton of hidden fees so when it was all said and done the monthly cost was more like $100 a month, but I still felt I was getting two good phones and a pretty good deal.
Today around lunch time the phones arrived. My son was home early due to this week being exams week. We very excitedly opened up the boxes to see the new phones. The new version of the LG Neon is this really cool black and neon blue color and it is a little thinner than other phones in the same classification which I really liked. Right away I called ATT to activate the phones. Once activated, we quickly started trying to figure out the new phones and began entering every name and number of all the people who are important to us. This as you know is very time consuming. Once the numbers were entered I called my husband to tell him to save the number in his phone and then I picked out a ring tone. Now that my phone was set up, I went to add my email address and to my surprise saw just about every company on the phone except for google. I thought, this can't be right?! I pulled out the instruction booklet in case I did something wrong and again found no way to access my google gmail account. Frustrated, I called ATT for assistance.
The first person I spoke to, verified who I was and listened to my concerns. She very quickly stated that the phone should be compatible with gmail and wasn't sure what the problem was. After about 20mins of speaking to her, she transferred me to the technical department to see if they could help me. The gentleman who answered also verified who I was and listened to my concerns. After about 40mins and placing me on hold 3 times he told me that the new LG Neon is NOT compatible with gmail and that he would have to transfer me to another department that could help me find a different phone. The third lady verified who I was and listened to my concerns and just couldn't believe that the LG Neon wasn't compatible with gmail. She placed me on hold to speak to the technical department and then returned to say that it wasn't compatible and that she was really sorry. I told her that the guy I originally spoke to the other day said it was and that he even had the same phone and used it for his gmail account. Her response: "He shouldn't have said that". I told her I think I want to just return the phones and forget about it. She then said she would need to transfer me to the return department. The fourth lady verified who I was and listened to my concerns. She said she couldn't believe that the phones weren't compatible with gmail and placed me on hold. When she returned she stated that she asked everyone in the office what they thought and they all thought it was compatible with gmail. I told her that the technical department said it wasn't and that I needed to find a phone that was. She stated that she needed to put me on hold so she could call the technical department and find out which phones were compatible. After about 10 mins the phone started ringing and a different lady answered the phone "Thank you for calling ATT, may I have the number that you are calling about today?"
I couldn't believe that after being on the phone for an hour and 40mins that my call was dropped and returned back to the main line. Now I was no longer frustrated, I was pissed. This lady AGAIN verified who I was and was forced to listen to me tell her how upset I was with all the run around and that not only did I not want these phones, I wanted to cancel my account with them permanently! She tried her best to get me to look at other phones on the website and even placed me on hold to speak to her manager... of course none of this mattered because I wanted nothing to do with ATT. I told her I wanted to return the phones today and cancel my account. She said I could just mail the phones back which I would have done, but they "forgot" to put the free postage return ticket in the package the phones came in. She said she would mail me one and that I had 30 days to return it. I told her I didn't want to wait, I wanted to return them today (because that's how mad I was). I asked her where I needed to go and she said I could go to any ATT store. She also stated that I could look at different phones or cancel my account in the store if I needed to. She also verified this information with her manager.
By this point my youngest son arrived home from school since I had now been on the phone the majority of my day. After hanging up with the last ATT representative, we all loaded up in the car and headed to the nearest ATT store which is about 15/ 20 mins from my house. I went in the store and waited patiently behind one customer. When it became my turn, I told the guy behind the desk that I wanted to return the phones that I received today and cancel my account. He looked me dead in the face and politely said "I'm sorry, but you can't do that here. You can only do that at a corporate store and the closest one is in Pensacola." I seriously had to hold my tongue and tell him that I had been on the phone all day with ATT and that I was told I could return the phones to any ATT store. His response: "She shouldn't have told you that." I told him that he needed to call someone because I'm wasn't going to drive another 30mins further away to return the phones. He then picked up the phone and called ATT and then handed the phone to ME! The lady on the line VERIFIED who I was and listened to my concerns. She then stated that she was sorry but that I had to go to the corporate store in Pensacola and she could do nothing else for me except mail me a free postage return slip. I told her that I just hung up with ATT who said I could return the phones to ANY store. Her response: "She shouldn't have told you that". At that point I hung up on her, rudely gave the phone back to the dumb guy behind the desk, grabbed the kids and drove like a bat out of hell towards Pensacola...
Man was I mad... I made it to the store and went inside. This was a huge store filled with people. A nice young lady waved at me to approach the counter. I told her I wanted to return the phones and cancel my account to include my sons phone. She asked the reasoning and not wanting to go into it all again, I told her I just wasn't satisfied. She proceeded to pull up my account and began to read the lengthy notes.. she then asked the store manager to come over (probably to throw me out)... After reviewing the notes, he surprisingly apologized and asked me to please let them make this situation right. He asked if I would be willing to look at the phones that they had in the store to see if there was any that was compatible with gmail. He wanted me to do an exchange instead of a return and cancellation. He stated that since I had been such a long time customer he really wanted to try and make me happy. Since I come from being in the hospitality business and know what it's like dealing with crazy pissed off people, I appreciated his approach and agreed to look at what they had.
Unfortunately they didn't have anything that was compatible with gmail without adding the extra $30 a month Internet package so my only option was to return the phones. The manager requested my home phone number and said he would look the next few days to try and find me what I needed. He also stated that new phones were coming out in about a month that would be compatible with gmail and asked that I not cancel my sons account since his old cell phone still worked. This will give the manager time to find what I needed and give me time to cool down and decide if I really want to cancel my account completely. I have been an ATT customer for around 10 years and switching to another company is something I need to think about. Even though I was still mad by all the run around I was put through today, I decided to keep my sons old cell phone and his account and return the new phones cancelling only my account. I made this decision based solely on the how I was treated by the store manager. He was understanding, professional and willing to make it right.
It was a 5 hour journey and something that at one moment made me so excited and happy to the next moment, upset and stressed. I drove 45mins back home while my youngest son slept in the backseat and my other son listened to music... none of us speaking a word...
This is my world...
I haven't had a cell phone since I lost my job. I was always provided one through my employer and didn't need to own a personal one until now. A couple of days ago I received my ATT bill for my sons cell phone and there was a note saying that we could have two lines for just $69.99 a month. I was already paying that amount to have a cell phone for him so it was like having a second line for free. I decided to call and take advantage of this deal.
Two hours later and after reviewing numerous phones on the website that the salesman felt would be perfect for me, I agreed to make the purchase of the new LG Neon. It was really important to me that any phone I bought had to be compatible with my gmail account without having to upgrade to their Internet package which would have been an additional amount of $30 a month. The salesman assured me that the new LG Neon was compatible with my gmail and even stated that he had the same phone and used it for his gmail account. He also told me that my son was eligible for an upgrade and could receive the same phone at no additional cost. Of course the $69.99 plan was just the base price with a ton of hidden fees so when it was all said and done the monthly cost was more like $100 a month, but I still felt I was getting two good phones and a pretty good deal.
Today around lunch time the phones arrived. My son was home early due to this week being exams week. We very excitedly opened up the boxes to see the new phones. The new version of the LG Neon is this really cool black and neon blue color and it is a little thinner than other phones in the same classification which I really liked. Right away I called ATT to activate the phones. Once activated, we quickly started trying to figure out the new phones and began entering every name and number of all the people who are important to us. This as you know is very time consuming. Once the numbers were entered I called my husband to tell him to save the number in his phone and then I picked out a ring tone. Now that my phone was set up, I went to add my email address and to my surprise saw just about every company on the phone except for google. I thought, this can't be right?! I pulled out the instruction booklet in case I did something wrong and again found no way to access my google gmail account. Frustrated, I called ATT for assistance.
The first person I spoke to, verified who I was and listened to my concerns. She very quickly stated that the phone should be compatible with gmail and wasn't sure what the problem was. After about 20mins of speaking to her, she transferred me to the technical department to see if they could help me. The gentleman who answered also verified who I was and listened to my concerns. After about 40mins and placing me on hold 3 times he told me that the new LG Neon is NOT compatible with gmail and that he would have to transfer me to another department that could help me find a different phone. The third lady verified who I was and listened to my concerns and just couldn't believe that the LG Neon wasn't compatible with gmail. She placed me on hold to speak to the technical department and then returned to say that it wasn't compatible and that she was really sorry. I told her that the guy I originally spoke to the other day said it was and that he even had the same phone and used it for his gmail account. Her response: "He shouldn't have said that". I told her I think I want to just return the phones and forget about it. She then said she would need to transfer me to the return department. The fourth lady verified who I was and listened to my concerns. She said she couldn't believe that the phones weren't compatible with gmail and placed me on hold. When she returned she stated that she asked everyone in the office what they thought and they all thought it was compatible with gmail. I told her that the technical department said it wasn't and that I needed to find a phone that was. She stated that she needed to put me on hold so she could call the technical department and find out which phones were compatible. After about 10 mins the phone started ringing and a different lady answered the phone "Thank you for calling ATT, may I have the number that you are calling about today?"
I couldn't believe that after being on the phone for an hour and 40mins that my call was dropped and returned back to the main line. Now I was no longer frustrated, I was pissed. This lady AGAIN verified who I was and was forced to listen to me tell her how upset I was with all the run around and that not only did I not want these phones, I wanted to cancel my account with them permanently! She tried her best to get me to look at other phones on the website and even placed me on hold to speak to her manager... of course none of this mattered because I wanted nothing to do with ATT. I told her I wanted to return the phones today and cancel my account. She said I could just mail the phones back which I would have done, but they "forgot" to put the free postage return ticket in the package the phones came in. She said she would mail me one and that I had 30 days to return it. I told her I didn't want to wait, I wanted to return them today (because that's how mad I was). I asked her where I needed to go and she said I could go to any ATT store. She also stated that I could look at different phones or cancel my account in the store if I needed to. She also verified this information with her manager.
By this point my youngest son arrived home from school since I had now been on the phone the majority of my day. After hanging up with the last ATT representative, we all loaded up in the car and headed to the nearest ATT store which is about 15/ 20 mins from my house. I went in the store and waited patiently behind one customer. When it became my turn, I told the guy behind the desk that I wanted to return the phones that I received today and cancel my account. He looked me dead in the face and politely said "I'm sorry, but you can't do that here. You can only do that at a corporate store and the closest one is in Pensacola." I seriously had to hold my tongue and tell him that I had been on the phone all day with ATT and that I was told I could return the phones to any ATT store. His response: "She shouldn't have told you that." I told him that he needed to call someone because I'm wasn't going to drive another 30mins further away to return the phones. He then picked up the phone and called ATT and then handed the phone to ME! The lady on the line VERIFIED who I was and listened to my concerns. She then stated that she was sorry but that I had to go to the corporate store in Pensacola and she could do nothing else for me except mail me a free postage return slip. I told her that I just hung up with ATT who said I could return the phones to ANY store. Her response: "She shouldn't have told you that". At that point I hung up on her, rudely gave the phone back to the dumb guy behind the desk, grabbed the kids and drove like a bat out of hell towards Pensacola...
Man was I mad... I made it to the store and went inside. This was a huge store filled with people. A nice young lady waved at me to approach the counter. I told her I wanted to return the phones and cancel my account to include my sons phone. She asked the reasoning and not wanting to go into it all again, I told her I just wasn't satisfied. She proceeded to pull up my account and began to read the lengthy notes.. she then asked the store manager to come over (probably to throw me out)... After reviewing the notes, he surprisingly apologized and asked me to please let them make this situation right. He asked if I would be willing to look at the phones that they had in the store to see if there was any that was compatible with gmail. He wanted me to do an exchange instead of a return and cancellation. He stated that since I had been such a long time customer he really wanted to try and make me happy. Since I come from being in the hospitality business and know what it's like dealing with crazy pissed off people, I appreciated his approach and agreed to look at what they had.
Unfortunately they didn't have anything that was compatible with gmail without adding the extra $30 a month Internet package so my only option was to return the phones. The manager requested my home phone number and said he would look the next few days to try and find me what I needed. He also stated that new phones were coming out in about a month that would be compatible with gmail and asked that I not cancel my sons account since his old cell phone still worked. This will give the manager time to find what I needed and give me time to cool down and decide if I really want to cancel my account completely. I have been an ATT customer for around 10 years and switching to another company is something I need to think about. Even though I was still mad by all the run around I was put through today, I decided to keep my sons old cell phone and his account and return the new phones cancelling only my account. I made this decision based solely on the how I was treated by the store manager. He was understanding, professional and willing to make it right.
It was a 5 hour journey and something that at one moment made me so excited and happy to the next moment, upset and stressed. I drove 45mins back home while my youngest son slept in the backseat and my other son listened to music... none of us speaking a word...
This is my world...
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Hunt for Employment
I haven't had a job in 3 months... what am I doing to find employment?
For the last 16 years I have had steady employment. In 2007 I was laid off when the parent company sold the company I worked for. Even though that was devastating at the time, 4 days later I was quickly employed by another company so the loss didn't really affect me on a professional level. Plus the economy hadn't hit rock bottom yet... that came two years later...
Since I have always worked, it's hard for me not to work. My first order of business when I was let go was to reach out to every resort connection that I had locally. I was on the phone, sending emails and hitting the streets. At that point every resort in town was on a hiring freeze which is the norm for this area due to being in the off season. I knew it would be a long shot for anything to be available that matched my qualifications, but I still wanted to get the word out in case anything opened up. At each interview and in each returned email, the responses were the same: "I'm sorry, but we have nothing at this time. Check back after New Years".
Being that it was the holidays, I went to try and get a seasonal position to help with Christmas and to hold me until something opened up in my industry. The funny thing about that was that no matter where I applied, the response was the same: "I'm sorry, but we don't have anything that matches your qualifications". That response really frustrated me. When you go to apply for a job at a retail store in the mall like Dillards, Belks, and Macys or at stores such as Walmart, Sams Club, Publix and Target, you have to apply online at one of their computers located in the store. You don't get to speak to a person. Your online resume / application is reviewed and then you are either called or sent an email with a response to that application. What is hard about this is that you don't have the chance to say "I know my experience is in resort operations management, however I need a seasonal position to get me through the holidays. I see that you are hiring seasonal cashiers and would love to apply". When they see my resume they assume I would not be interested since that is not my background and toss me to the side. It's hard to believe that being over qualified can keep you from getting a job, but it can and has... Plus there is this underlining fear that you are going to come in as a cashier and be running the place by the end of the week... When a manager reviews your resume and sees that your salary range is more than his and your management experience is longer or more diverse, they see you as a threat and will absolutely not hire you. Why would he?
Trying to stay open minded and think outside of the box, I went to the Internet and posted my resume on every employment website that I could find to include careerbuilder.com, mosterjobs.com, Hcareers.com and linkedin.com. I also stated on each of these websites that I was willing to relocate for the right position. Being a member of linkedin.com has helped me to connect with recruiters outside of Florida and reconnect with past co-workers who might have employment opportunities for me. Posting online actually gave me the most promise. I received numerous emails and phone calls regarding potential job offers, but in the end and after getting me all excited about possible employment; the response was always the same: "You are a great candidate for this position and would be a great asset to our company, however we decided to go with someone locally". To date, I have spoken to or been contacted by over 40 employers.
During all of this job searching I also applied for unemployment. In Florida the max that you can receive is $275 a week no matter how much you were making when you were employed. I qualified for the full amount of $275 which certainly doesn't pay my $2,100 a month mortgage and why my house is currently on the market. Being on unemployment you are also required to apply for at least two jobs a week and meet with a counselor every 3 months or monthly depending on how you're coded in their system. Being in the system also enables you to receive job postings each week from them that you can apply to. So far no opportunity has come from the unemployment website.
Now that it is the new year and spring is around the corner, I am hopeful that something will open up that matches my qualifications. I do have to say that in this economy you have to be persistent and reconnect with everyone who told you to call back (which I am doing). I have contacted a few connections that might end up being a great opportunity for me but I still have to be patient and wait for those opportunities to come available. So my search continues and my prayers will hopefully soon be answered.
I will keep you posted.
This is my world...
For the last 16 years I have had steady employment. In 2007 I was laid off when the parent company sold the company I worked for. Even though that was devastating at the time, 4 days later I was quickly employed by another company so the loss didn't really affect me on a professional level. Plus the economy hadn't hit rock bottom yet... that came two years later...
Since I have always worked, it's hard for me not to work. My first order of business when I was let go was to reach out to every resort connection that I had locally. I was on the phone, sending emails and hitting the streets. At that point every resort in town was on a hiring freeze which is the norm for this area due to being in the off season. I knew it would be a long shot for anything to be available that matched my qualifications, but I still wanted to get the word out in case anything opened up. At each interview and in each returned email, the responses were the same: "I'm sorry, but we have nothing at this time. Check back after New Years".
Being that it was the holidays, I went to try and get a seasonal position to help with Christmas and to hold me until something opened up in my industry. The funny thing about that was that no matter where I applied, the response was the same: "I'm sorry, but we don't have anything that matches your qualifications". That response really frustrated me. When you go to apply for a job at a retail store in the mall like Dillards, Belks, and Macys or at stores such as Walmart, Sams Club, Publix and Target, you have to apply online at one of their computers located in the store. You don't get to speak to a person. Your online resume / application is reviewed and then you are either called or sent an email with a response to that application. What is hard about this is that you don't have the chance to say "I know my experience is in resort operations management, however I need a seasonal position to get me through the holidays. I see that you are hiring seasonal cashiers and would love to apply". When they see my resume they assume I would not be interested since that is not my background and toss me to the side. It's hard to believe that being over qualified can keep you from getting a job, but it can and has... Plus there is this underlining fear that you are going to come in as a cashier and be running the place by the end of the week... When a manager reviews your resume and sees that your salary range is more than his and your management experience is longer or more diverse, they see you as a threat and will absolutely not hire you. Why would he?
Trying to stay open minded and think outside of the box, I went to the Internet and posted my resume on every employment website that I could find to include careerbuilder.com, mosterjobs.com, Hcareers.com and linkedin.com. I also stated on each of these websites that I was willing to relocate for the right position. Being a member of linkedin.com has helped me to connect with recruiters outside of Florida and reconnect with past co-workers who might have employment opportunities for me. Posting online actually gave me the most promise. I received numerous emails and phone calls regarding potential job offers, but in the end and after getting me all excited about possible employment; the response was always the same: "You are a great candidate for this position and would be a great asset to our company, however we decided to go with someone locally". To date, I have spoken to or been contacted by over 40 employers.
During all of this job searching I also applied for unemployment. In Florida the max that you can receive is $275 a week no matter how much you were making when you were employed. I qualified for the full amount of $275 which certainly doesn't pay my $2,100 a month mortgage and why my house is currently on the market. Being on unemployment you are also required to apply for at least two jobs a week and meet with a counselor every 3 months or monthly depending on how you're coded in their system. Being in the system also enables you to receive job postings each week from them that you can apply to. So far no opportunity has come from the unemployment website.
Now that it is the new year and spring is around the corner, I am hopeful that something will open up that matches my qualifications. I do have to say that in this economy you have to be persistent and reconnect with everyone who told you to call back (which I am doing). I have contacted a few connections that might end up being a great opportunity for me but I still have to be patient and wait for those opportunities to come available. So my search continues and my prayers will hopefully soon be answered.
I will keep you posted.
This is my world...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Quote of the Day
"It's not what you do once in a while; it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference." - Jenny Craig speaking in reference to dieting...
(I think this quote applies to MUCH MORE than dieting, don't you?)
(I think this quote applies to MUCH MORE than dieting, don't you?)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
New Year... New You...
I know everyone makes a New Years resolution to lose weight and then a few days later returns to their old ways, but this year I am determined to take the weight off (the right way) and keep it off.
My last job was so stressful that I literally gained 16 pounds in a 10 month period. I wish I was one of those people who can't eat when stressed, but unfortunately for me; I do just the opposite. Plus I don't eat large meals. I'm what you would call a grazer. I like to eat little snacks throughout the day and when I'm stressed those snacks quickly go from healthy foods such as an apple or an orange to fattening snacks like chips and nacho cheese dip.
During the day I would be very busy at work so I would go long hours without eating and then binge on junk food as soon as I got home. Then I lost my job right before Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years adding another 6 pounds to my waistline. Spending the last 3 months looking for a job hasn't helped either. Looking for employment in hard economic times can really make you depressed... there's many days I wish I could just lay in bed all day. Luckily, I don't have a lazy bone in my body. Each day I am up before 8am making sure the kids are off to school, the house is cleaned, groceries are bought, bills are paid, dogs are taken care of , dinner is made all while looking for a job at the same time.
For Christmas my mother always gets my family a "family gift". This year she gave us a Wii video game system along with the Wii Fit Plus. January 1st I decided that I was going to use the Wii Fit Plus to help me in my quest to lose weight. I also decided to really watch what I eat and to keep unhealthy snacks to a minimum. My husband read that there are 3 vitamins that should be taken everyday to live a healthy lifestyle. Those vitamins are 1000mg of Vitamin C, 1000mg of Vitamin D-3 and 1000mg of Omega 3 Fish Oil. Plus all of us have read that everyone should start their day with a lite breakfast. So with this information, I starting taking these vitamins every morning along with eating one cup of low sugar oatmeal and drinking one cup of hot green tea with honey.
Once this morning ritual is completed, I then make myself do at least 30mins of Wii cardio and take the daily body test evaluation to help keep me on track. As of today, I have lost 6 pounds with 16 more to lose to reach my goal weight. I have set a goal time of two months to try and get to my goal weight so I can be back in shape in time for summer. To help me throughout the rest of my day, I went to Walmart and purchased about 20 Lean Cuisine and Weight Watcher meals to eat for lunch (and possibly dinner if needed). For snacking I purchased Fat Free Cottage Cheese, No Sugar Diced Peaches and a large bag of All Natural, No Salt, Almonds. I then try and stay firm to a daily eating schedule.
Since I like to snack throughout the day, I try not to eat as soon as I get up. This helps me to not snack as much during the day. What I try and do is wait until after the kids go to school and have my vitamins and oatmeal around 9am. Then I work out, clean the house, look for a job, run my errands etc... purposely keeping myself busy and away from snacking. Around 1pm, I eat a lite lunch which is usually one of the frozen meals I purchased at Wal-Mart or a small sandwich. Then around 3pm I will snack on a few Almonds or have one cup of the fat free cottage cheese with half a cup of diced sugar free peaches (if I'm hungry). Sometimes I am busy doing other things and don't snack at all. It just depends on my mood. At night I make dinner for my family as usual and then eat small portions of what I made. We usually eat before 6pm and never eat after 7pm if we can help it.
Sticking to this eating schedule along with exercising should help me to lose the weight and to keep it off. However, it isn't easy because I LOVE food and I love to cook huge meals. I love homemade bread, rich cheeses and any kind of dessert. I also decided to NOT stop eating the foods that I love, but to keep what I eat to a minimum and with small portions so that I don't end up binging on chips, cakes and cookies and gaining all the weight back that I worked so hard to lose. I also only drink water except for the green tea that I have in the morning and the occasional cup of hot chocolate in the evening when it is cold outside.
Hopefully I will be able to stick to this program and that I will see the results I am looking for.
This is my world...
My last job was so stressful that I literally gained 16 pounds in a 10 month period. I wish I was one of those people who can't eat when stressed, but unfortunately for me; I do just the opposite. Plus I don't eat large meals. I'm what you would call a grazer. I like to eat little snacks throughout the day and when I'm stressed those snacks quickly go from healthy foods such as an apple or an orange to fattening snacks like chips and nacho cheese dip.
During the day I would be very busy at work so I would go long hours without eating and then binge on junk food as soon as I got home. Then I lost my job right before Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years adding another 6 pounds to my waistline. Spending the last 3 months looking for a job hasn't helped either. Looking for employment in hard economic times can really make you depressed... there's many days I wish I could just lay in bed all day. Luckily, I don't have a lazy bone in my body. Each day I am up before 8am making sure the kids are off to school, the house is cleaned, groceries are bought, bills are paid, dogs are taken care of , dinner is made all while looking for a job at the same time.
For Christmas my mother always gets my family a "family gift". This year she gave us a Wii video game system along with the Wii Fit Plus. January 1st I decided that I was going to use the Wii Fit Plus to help me in my quest to lose weight. I also decided to really watch what I eat and to keep unhealthy snacks to a minimum. My husband read that there are 3 vitamins that should be taken everyday to live a healthy lifestyle. Those vitamins are 1000mg of Vitamin C, 1000mg of Vitamin D-3 and 1000mg of Omega 3 Fish Oil. Plus all of us have read that everyone should start their day with a lite breakfast. So with this information, I starting taking these vitamins every morning along with eating one cup of low sugar oatmeal and drinking one cup of hot green tea with honey.
Once this morning ritual is completed, I then make myself do at least 30mins of Wii cardio and take the daily body test evaluation to help keep me on track. As of today, I have lost 6 pounds with 16 more to lose to reach my goal weight. I have set a goal time of two months to try and get to my goal weight so I can be back in shape in time for summer. To help me throughout the rest of my day, I went to Walmart and purchased about 20 Lean Cuisine and Weight Watcher meals to eat for lunch (and possibly dinner if needed). For snacking I purchased Fat Free Cottage Cheese, No Sugar Diced Peaches and a large bag of All Natural, No Salt, Almonds. I then try and stay firm to a daily eating schedule.
Since I like to snack throughout the day, I try not to eat as soon as I get up. This helps me to not snack as much during the day. What I try and do is wait until after the kids go to school and have my vitamins and oatmeal around 9am. Then I work out, clean the house, look for a job, run my errands etc... purposely keeping myself busy and away from snacking. Around 1pm, I eat a lite lunch which is usually one of the frozen meals I purchased at Wal-Mart or a small sandwich. Then around 3pm I will snack on a few Almonds or have one cup of the fat free cottage cheese with half a cup of diced sugar free peaches (if I'm hungry). Sometimes I am busy doing other things and don't snack at all. It just depends on my mood. At night I make dinner for my family as usual and then eat small portions of what I made. We usually eat before 6pm and never eat after 7pm if we can help it.
Sticking to this eating schedule along with exercising should help me to lose the weight and to keep it off. However, it isn't easy because I LOVE food and I love to cook huge meals. I love homemade bread, rich cheeses and any kind of dessert. I also decided to NOT stop eating the foods that I love, but to keep what I eat to a minimum and with small portions so that I don't end up binging on chips, cakes and cookies and gaining all the weight back that I worked so hard to lose. I also only drink water except for the green tea that I have in the morning and the occasional cup of hot chocolate in the evening when it is cold outside.
Hopefully I will be able to stick to this program and that I will see the results I am looking for.
This is my world...
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Lets talk about Wal-Mart
I want to begin by saying that my favorite local grocery store is Publix, however, it's not always affordable for me to shop for a weeks worth of groceries for the family. I go to Publix every other week for fresh produce, cheese and bakery items or when I'm making a special dinner or just for things that I can't normally get at Walmart.
When I had a job, my Walmart trips were limited to weekends when I was off or at night on my way home from work to pick up something quick for dinner or to buy a gallon of milk for the next mornings breakfast. Now that I am home I go to Walmart during the weekday. May I say that this is a much different experience. During the weekday my local Walmart is filled with stay at home moms, military wives that don't work, senior citizens and a few unemployed professionals like myself.
With that said, mornings are the best time to go. The shelves are normally fully stocked and the store isn't crowded giving you time to shop in peace. Of course I must say that the senior citizens are never very nice that are shopping in the store with me. They are almost to the point of being rude so I try to avoid running into them at all cost and if I do happen to enter their space while passing them on an aisle, I just smile and keep moving. If you go anytime after 2pm you will get the moms with kids just picked up from daycare and from schools that just got out which isn't a huge problem but this is the time of day that you will hear a lot of crying going on in the store. If you want fried chicken from the deli, you better get there by 4pm because after 5pm all the working moms and dads will be stopping in to pick something up for dinner and once it's gone, the deli isn't going to make more no matter how many times you ask, beg or plead. The worst time of course is anytime on a Saturday when the whole town goes to shop or anytime after noon on Sunday because for some reason Walmart is the place to go once you leave church. Now that I have all this figured out, I make sure to go before 11am on a Tues, Weds, or Thursday to have a pleasant shopping experience.
Of course I wish that was all it took to enjoy a shopping trip to Walmart but as we all know, that is not the case. Why is it that the cashier NEVER says hello or how are you doing and wouldn't it be nice that after you spent $300 they would THANK YOU for shopping at Walmart? Since I spent a lifetime in the customer service business I always go out of my way to say hi to them and try and get them to speak to me. Most of the time I get a comment or two of course without eye contact because that is way to much to ask...but every now and then I get a new employee who's excited about her new job at Walmart and talks to me and is very upbeat and polite and I leave the store thinking it was a great shopping experience. Clean store, fully stocked shelves, not crowded and the cashier was nice to me! How awesome?!
I also want to comment on the workout that I get just by shopping at Walmart. The store I go to is the 3rd largest Walmart and it is huge! Even though I'm only shopping for groceries, I also need dog food and shampoo which just happens to be on the other side of the store near the outdoor area. It takes me a good 15mins to get over there or 30 if I stop to look at any retail items which is really what they want me to do... God forbid that I get my dog food and shampoo and then walk 15mins back to the grocery side and then realize that I also needed deodorant which as we all know is NOT on the grocery side. So a good tip when shopping at Walmart would be to wear your workout clothes and your tennis shoes so you are prepared for some serious shopping. On a positive note, Walmart has everything so it is a one stop shopping destination. As long as you don't mind a 2 hour shopping excursion, you should be good to go. Plus everything is more affordable at Walmart saving my family hundreds of dollars every year, but with as much money as Walmart makes don't you wish that they would hire more cashiers? How come no matter when I go, there's never enough cashiers? Sometimes I spend more time standing in line than I do shopping and during the holiday season, forget about it! Walmart is a mess during the holidays!
The point is that I shop at Walmart because it saves me money, but in actuality it probably doesn't save me much since I always end up buying something I don't need because I have to keep walking past the retail and home aisles when really all I needed was dinner for tonight. Publix is a little more expensive, but the items are fresher, the store is smaller, the cashiers are always friendly, dressed nice and available with plenty of open lanes. Maybe I should save time and money and just shop at Publix. At least I won't come home with a lawnmower...
This is my world...
When I had a job, my Walmart trips were limited to weekends when I was off or at night on my way home from work to pick up something quick for dinner or to buy a gallon of milk for the next mornings breakfast. Now that I am home I go to Walmart during the weekday. May I say that this is a much different experience. During the weekday my local Walmart is filled with stay at home moms, military wives that don't work, senior citizens and a few unemployed professionals like myself.
With that said, mornings are the best time to go. The shelves are normally fully stocked and the store isn't crowded giving you time to shop in peace. Of course I must say that the senior citizens are never very nice that are shopping in the store with me. They are almost to the point of being rude so I try to avoid running into them at all cost and if I do happen to enter their space while passing them on an aisle, I just smile and keep moving. If you go anytime after 2pm you will get the moms with kids just picked up from daycare and from schools that just got out which isn't a huge problem but this is the time of day that you will hear a lot of crying going on in the store. If you want fried chicken from the deli, you better get there by 4pm because after 5pm all the working moms and dads will be stopping in to pick something up for dinner and once it's gone, the deli isn't going to make more no matter how many times you ask, beg or plead. The worst time of course is anytime on a Saturday when the whole town goes to shop or anytime after noon on Sunday because for some reason Walmart is the place to go once you leave church. Now that I have all this figured out, I make sure to go before 11am on a Tues, Weds, or Thursday to have a pleasant shopping experience.
Of course I wish that was all it took to enjoy a shopping trip to Walmart but as we all know, that is not the case. Why is it that the cashier NEVER says hello or how are you doing and wouldn't it be nice that after you spent $300 they would THANK YOU for shopping at Walmart? Since I spent a lifetime in the customer service business I always go out of my way to say hi to them and try and get them to speak to me. Most of the time I get a comment or two of course without eye contact because that is way to much to ask...but every now and then I get a new employee who's excited about her new job at Walmart and talks to me and is very upbeat and polite and I leave the store thinking it was a great shopping experience. Clean store, fully stocked shelves, not crowded and the cashier was nice to me! How awesome?!
I also want to comment on the workout that I get just by shopping at Walmart. The store I go to is the 3rd largest Walmart and it is huge! Even though I'm only shopping for groceries, I also need dog food and shampoo which just happens to be on the other side of the store near the outdoor area. It takes me a good 15mins to get over there or 30 if I stop to look at any retail items which is really what they want me to do... God forbid that I get my dog food and shampoo and then walk 15mins back to the grocery side and then realize that I also needed deodorant which as we all know is NOT on the grocery side. So a good tip when shopping at Walmart would be to wear your workout clothes and your tennis shoes so you are prepared for some serious shopping. On a positive note, Walmart has everything so it is a one stop shopping destination. As long as you don't mind a 2 hour shopping excursion, you should be good to go. Plus everything is more affordable at Walmart saving my family hundreds of dollars every year, but with as much money as Walmart makes don't you wish that they would hire more cashiers? How come no matter when I go, there's never enough cashiers? Sometimes I spend more time standing in line than I do shopping and during the holiday season, forget about it! Walmart is a mess during the holidays!
The point is that I shop at Walmart because it saves me money, but in actuality it probably doesn't save me much since I always end up buying something I don't need because I have to keep walking past the retail and home aisles when really all I needed was dinner for tonight. Publix is a little more expensive, but the items are fresher, the store is smaller, the cashiers are always friendly, dressed nice and available with plenty of open lanes. Maybe I should save time and money and just shop at Publix. At least I won't come home with a lawnmower...
This is my world...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Strangers at the Door
It is amazing all that goes on at your house while you're at work everyday. Now that I am home all day, I've come to realize that my home phone rings all day. I get all kinds of calls wanting me to donate money or tell me that I won something even though I didn't register for anything. My all time favorite is the calls that I get that as soon as you answer asks you to hold for a representative or even better asks you to hang up and call back using a 1-800 number. Do people really hold or call these 800 numbers? Well I don't. I just get annoyed by the amount of calls that I get. I think I just need to get a cell phone and get rid of my home phone...
Outside I'm amazed by all the people who don't work. The neighborhood is full of people walking their dogs, running, biking etc... You would think it was a weekend. There's one guy who rides his bike passed my house at least 3 times everyday, rain or shine. He is very motivated... much more than me that's for sure.
Yesterday after my Wii 30min workout, I had a knock at my door. My first thought was, now what?! My dogs were uncontrollably barking at two people standing at my front door. Unfortunately for me, my front door is a glass door so I can't hide and ignore that someone is there; especially when I am standing in the living room where they can see me. Knowing that I can't open the door without my dogs going crazy on these people, I had to take the time to put the dogs out back. The back door is also a glass door so it doesn't stop the dogs from barking uncontrollably, but does keep them from jumping up on people.
Now that I had the dogs all situated I opened my front door to find two young people standing there. It was a guy and a girl around 18 to 20 years old and even though not bad looking both were in need of a shower. The girl put out her hand and very quickly stated that she was related to one of my neighbors and wanted to introduce herself. She even used my neighbors name to seem more convincing. Finding this odd, I didn't shake her hand but instead asked her what I could do for her. She went into this long story about how they were trying to get back to London and that her dad told her he wasn't going to help her and that she needed to work to get the money to pay for it herself. Then the guy wanted to hand me some brochure in hopes I would give them money for something they were selling even though they had nothing in hand while the whole time representing themselves as relatives of one of my neighbors. This scenario seemed oddly familiar... while the girl was speaking I remembered a different young guy coming to my door a few months earlier saying the same thing except he used a different neighbors name as his "relative". It was at this "ah ha" moment that I politely told the girl that I wasn't interested in helping them and closed the door. Since my door is all glass we all stood and looked at each other for a brief moment before they turned and walked away. I then proceeded to watch them go across the street and door to door telling the same story they told me, but probably saying they were my relatives, who knows...
Anyway, please know that if someone oddly suspicious knocks on your door with some crazy story about needing money to go to college or travel oversees don't give them your name and certainly don't give them any money. Because the minute you do, you have now become their "relative" that they use to get your neighbors to give them money.
Who knew that while I was at work everyday, that people were calling my house and knocking on my door with all these strange requests. But now I'm here not missing anything that goes on. Adding to these things happening, we also just listed our house which means all kinds of people sit in their cars in front of my house or do the slow drive by. Some even want to look in the windows which is odd when they find me sitting at my computer watching them from the inside. BTW... I never let anyone in my house without a realtor or an appointment. You can never be to cautious when showing your home that is for sale.
This my world...
Outside I'm amazed by all the people who don't work. The neighborhood is full of people walking their dogs, running, biking etc... You would think it was a weekend. There's one guy who rides his bike passed my house at least 3 times everyday, rain or shine. He is very motivated... much more than me that's for sure.
Yesterday after my Wii 30min workout, I had a knock at my door. My first thought was, now what?! My dogs were uncontrollably barking at two people standing at my front door. Unfortunately for me, my front door is a glass door so I can't hide and ignore that someone is there; especially when I am standing in the living room where they can see me. Knowing that I can't open the door without my dogs going crazy on these people, I had to take the time to put the dogs out back. The back door is also a glass door so it doesn't stop the dogs from barking uncontrollably, but does keep them from jumping up on people.
Now that I had the dogs all situated I opened my front door to find two young people standing there. It was a guy and a girl around 18 to 20 years old and even though not bad looking both were in need of a shower. The girl put out her hand and very quickly stated that she was related to one of my neighbors and wanted to introduce herself. She even used my neighbors name to seem more convincing. Finding this odd, I didn't shake her hand but instead asked her what I could do for her. She went into this long story about how they were trying to get back to London and that her dad told her he wasn't going to help her and that she needed to work to get the money to pay for it herself. Then the guy wanted to hand me some brochure in hopes I would give them money for something they were selling even though they had nothing in hand while the whole time representing themselves as relatives of one of my neighbors. This scenario seemed oddly familiar... while the girl was speaking I remembered a different young guy coming to my door a few months earlier saying the same thing except he used a different neighbors name as his "relative". It was at this "ah ha" moment that I politely told the girl that I wasn't interested in helping them and closed the door. Since my door is all glass we all stood and looked at each other for a brief moment before they turned and walked away. I then proceeded to watch them go across the street and door to door telling the same story they told me, but probably saying they were my relatives, who knows...
Anyway, please know that if someone oddly suspicious knocks on your door with some crazy story about needing money to go to college or travel oversees don't give them your name and certainly don't give them any money. Because the minute you do, you have now become their "relative" that they use to get your neighbors to give them money.
Who knew that while I was at work everyday, that people were calling my house and knocking on my door with all these strange requests. But now I'm here not missing anything that goes on. Adding to these things happening, we also just listed our house which means all kinds of people sit in their cars in front of my house or do the slow drive by. Some even want to look in the windows which is odd when they find me sitting at my computer watching them from the inside. BTW... I never let anyone in my house without a realtor or an appointment. You can never be to cautious when showing your home that is for sale.
This my world...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Introduction
Hello, my name is Jodi... Welcome...
I have been working for over 20 years and for the past 16 years, in the resort hospitality business which when I started was a great job to have. Any job dealing with the public meant job security (ever heard of "If you build it they will come").
Beautiful resorts along white sandy beaches pretty much guaranteed people would come and vacation, but now with today's economy, people are staying close to home and even if they have the money to travel; they are putting that money in savings due to lack of job security across the country. No one knows what tomorrow will bring.
My tomorrow came this past October when I was sitting at my desk and my manager walked in and said I was no longer needed. No explanation, no reasoning, no notice, just get your things and leave. So for the first time in over 20 years, I am now unemployed.
I am creating this blog as my daily diary of whats going on in my world now that I am unemployed. I look forward to what each new day will bring.
Welcome to Jodi's World Today :)
I have been working for over 20 years and for the past 16 years, in the resort hospitality business which when I started was a great job to have. Any job dealing with the public meant job security (ever heard of "If you build it they will come").
Beautiful resorts along white sandy beaches pretty much guaranteed people would come and vacation, but now with today's economy, people are staying close to home and even if they have the money to travel; they are putting that money in savings due to lack of job security across the country. No one knows what tomorrow will bring.
My tomorrow came this past October when I was sitting at my desk and my manager walked in and said I was no longer needed. No explanation, no reasoning, no notice, just get your things and leave. So for the first time in over 20 years, I am now unemployed.
I am creating this blog as my daily diary of whats going on in my world now that I am unemployed. I look forward to what each new day will bring.
Welcome to Jodi's World Today :)
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