Merry Christmas

So it's been a month since I last wrote and I don't even have much time to do it!

I did pass my road test and have been happily driving solo ever since. I'll tell you more about my adventures after Christmas.

So on that note, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Talk to you soon, after the holidays!

Road Test Blues...

So, I must start this post off with a confession. I, at the ripe old age of 23, do not possess my driver’s license. It started back in 2003 when I was 17, and I went for my learners. I passed that test and just sat on the learners for a few years. At 20, I drove PL’s car for the first time (white-knuckle death grip on the steering wheel the entire time; I actually had a hand cramp!). Finally at 21, I decided to take my AMA driver education (a Christmas present that took me over a year to use). I passed the written portion with flying colours and the in-car lessons also went well. And then I just didn’t go any further after that. I just kept driving PL’s car (with him or another licensed driver; I’m not a law-breaker!) and getting more and more practice. I just knew that one day I would know when I was ready for the test.

Finally, a few weeks ago, I hit that point and booked my road test. It’s this Friday. I got a great time slot too: 9:45 a.m. It will be after the morning rush and before a lunch rush. The roads should be really quiet, which is great. The only downside of booking it then is that I can’t use PL’s car for the test and must test on a car I’ve never driven before. It should be fine (it will be an automatic; you put it in D when you want to go forward and R when you want to go back, I think monkey’s could drive an automatic) I feel confident in my driving skills. I don’t worry about the parallel parking or hill parking or traffic circles. I just really hope I don’t mess it up doing something stupid that I know better. I think I have a level of maturity going in my favour. The only thing that is screwing with my head is the unknown. I don’t know what exactly he’ll ask me. I don’t know where exactly we’ll travel. I don’t know what the examiner will be like. I’m just trying to focus on what I do know and can work on; my own skills. I really want to pass it on the first try so wish me luck on Friday morning!

Catch-Up and New News...

So it’s been a really long time since I wrote!

To play catch-up…
Work: Really good. I keep getting PR projects to work on and I had a good talk with my boss yesterday. It sounds like they want to keep me for a while (my boss mentioned that she hoped I was around for a few years at least). I will also be given a big project to work on, in addition to all the little ones I’m currently responsible for. I’ve never liked my job this much before and I LOVE it!!

Love: PL and I are way better now; things are really great and totally back on track.

Working Out: Not only did I not get to the gym on Halloween, like I said I would (I chose to blame my Halloween party, which kept me up late on Thursday decorating cookies and carving pumpkins) but I still haven’t gone at all. My plan was to go today but I forgot to pack a bag last night. I’m hoping to go tomorrow, even though I wouldn’t go back to the gym until Monday.

Other new news….
On Friday evening, from 6 – 1 a.m., I will be doing a “walk-along” with beat cops in the area around police headquarters. It’s going to be very interesting…as in tons of drunken idiots and creepy dudes. If I wasn’t going with two police officers who have guns, Tasers, and training, I wouldn’t go near that area in daylight! Nonetheless, I’m still really excited. I think it will be a cool experience. I also still have a Ride-Along in a cruiser and on Air-1 coming up soon too. Can’t wait for that either!!

I also booked my road test and will be going for my driver’s license on November 28th. I really don’t want to fail on the first time and I’m just worried that I’m going to mess up doing something really stupid!

I’m really excited for Christmas. PL is staying here, for the first time since we started dating, so it will be our first Christmas together. We’re getting a real Christmas tree and we’ll be decorating together. I’m just so excited to actually be with him this year, which is why I think I’m so excited in general for Christmas. My only bummer is that due to my financial situation, I can’t get my shopping done early, like I usually do. I have to wait until the first week of December to finish, when I usually have it done before December 1. Last night I saw a girl wrapping presents (I’m not a peeping-Tom; it was dark and she was sitting on her living room floor, in a loft next to my sister’s). I was very impressed. I’ve never even wrapped presents that early before! Maybe she was mailing them to a foreign country, although I think she was just a keener!

Now what?...

With my career life relatively stable (at least for 6 months), I’m now focusing on straightening out the other aspects of my life: financial, relationship, and my physical health.

Finances…YIKES! Man, I don’t really recommend being unemployed for anyone. Because of cut off periods, I only got one pay cheque in October and it was only a half sized one. So I had to borrow money from my mom (more and more), to cover me until my next pay cheque. Which means I essentially have to pay two rents in the month of November, which means I’m looking at another broke-ass month. And then I end up with 3 pay cheques in December, but with presents and parties (for friends and families), I doubt I’ll have much left over. It is so friggin depressing to look ahead and know that I won’t be comfortable again until January at the earliest. I don’t want to be a broke student anymore!

Relationships…hmmm. On the friendship side of things, I’m still looking for that best friend to click with. I had high hopes for the girl who was on her honeymoon, but so far no “friend spark”. Oh well, I guess. And with the boyfriend, I was having worries. He’s in Education and is incredibly busy this semester. As in, he comes home and goes to the office to do homework all night. I’ve been getting really resentful about doing all the laundry and cleaning around the house, including his underwear (that’s love) and I really haven’t felt any support or appreciation for the work. We had a talk this past weekend and he said that he hasn’t felt any appreciation either. So we were kind of caught in a really bad place. We talked it out and things are a bit better but while he’s being really cuddly and needy, I’m still feeling kind of distant towards him. I don’t know how to interpret what that means. I’m really hoping it’s just a phase that I’m in right now!

Physical….CRAP! I got weighed at a clinic this week and it wasn’t pretty. As I got on the scale, there was a split second moment where I thought “hmm, maybe I shouldn’t look” but unfortunately I did. So I’m resolving to not get this heavy ever again. I have huge issues with self-esteem and body image. I’m not obese and even though I’m only 18 pounds over the weight I want to be at, I still feel absolutely disgusting most days. So I’m making a stand, and announcing it to you that this is IT. I’m making a change. I’m going to start working out. I spent a lot of time (you might say too much) at work creating a workout plan for myself to start on Friday. I have a 2 week pass for the YMCA, so tomorrow on my day off I’m going to go check it out. I really want to lose 8 pounds before Christmas, so I’ve made a 7 week plan. It’s a bit intense, considering I’m going from now work outs to working out 5 days a week, but I’m feeling really motivated. I’ve found a gym near work, I have 2 weeks free, and I have my awesome plan, so I’m feeling pretty positive. I hope that this time, the lifestyle change actually sticks. Wish me luck!!

Oh yeah, my 1001 goals are coming soon. They’re on PL’s computer, and I was about halfway finished. I’m looking forward to having them as a motivation tool!

The Power of Praise…

So today I realized the power of praise, or lack of it.

Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve always been loved at my jobs. No matter what I did, I always did it well and my bosses gave credit for that.

So I had no reason to suspect that it would be any different with the organization I did my practicum at. However things did not go nearly how I expected.

To say my boss was absent would be the most accurate description. Even the first week I started, she was on vacation. She was too busy to give me any feedback, which I so desperately needed in my first post-college job. Every time I did something, I got no positive feedback. When I got them, reactions to my work were basically “well this is what I expected of you but you need to do better”. I never felt appreciated, and was given no guidelines for improvement. At the point when my practicum was finished and we were deciding my future, the best thing she could say was that I was professional. Gee, don’t hold yourself back. I wanted to hear her say “we’d love to keep you here” and what she actually said was “what do you want to do”. So when I finally quit in August, I had reached the point where I hated coming to work and felt totally incompetent.

Today, at my wonderful EPS job, I was given the task of designing a one page flyer on Halloween Safety. I was told to include the address, EPS crest, and safety tips. From there, I built a totally awesome page that everyone in the office was oooing and awing over. I was told by a senior PR person that I had “great design skills” and my boss said it looked “terrific”. And then it occurred to me that it had seriously been over a year since I felt complimented in my work. My teachers at school never really gave me high praise. And my boss at my practicum only gave negative feedback.

I didn’t write this to be a show off; merely to illustrate how I went from having confidence in my abilities to being completely full of self doubts. I am glad every day that I left the organization.

The wait is over and other news…

So I finally heard from G2 yesterday morning, 2 1/2 weeks after my second interview. Her voice didn't sound very upbeat in the message, which surprised me because I thought that I had definitely nailed it. I called her back and she told me that "due to internal structuring" the position has been "eliminated". She basically told me that I would have been offered the job if it was still available and that they will be keeping my resume on file to contact me if another position comes up. I told her that I had already accepted a temporary position with the City. After I got off the phone call, I was just incredibly relieved that I didn't "risk it" and hold out for the G2 job. Can you imagine? I say no to the Edmonton Police Service job for and job that got phased out? Thankfully, I not only accepted the EPS job but I love it! So far so good…not too many "admin" duties and almost daily PR duties. I still really like the job and the people I work with!

I'm on the hunt for a new hair stylist. The one I've been going to for years went on mat leave and is supposed to return in November. Yet when my mom called (we go to the same woman), the receptionist said that she was not there. Though the odds of a receptionist being left out of the loop (though everyone expects them to know everything!) are pretty high, if she's right and my stylist isn't coming back, I have to find a new one. Right now I'm growing out my hair and I won't need a stylist for a few more months (I'm pushing myself to grow it at least until February at the earliest!). But the day will come when I need one. I hate finding a new hair stylist. It's almost worse than finding a family doctor (I'll have to find a new one in a few years too!). Actually, I think it is worse because if you get a bad stylist, everyone sees your ugly hair for the 6 - 8 weeks until you can do something with it! So if you have an experience hair stylist who you love, please send me the info!

I'm so broke right now and it's depressing the hell out of me. Today is PL's birthday and I don't even have money for a card for him. I'm writing him a letter and baking him a cake (actually, it's going to be Birthday Banana Bread) but I feel so bad for not being able to do anything else for him. We aren't having the birthday party until the 24th, and luckily I get a paycheque (though it's only a half one…I started at the worst time!) that week. So at least I'll be able to buy him a present for that. I need a whole bunch of work clothing too, and I won't be able to get that until November. I will have to cut down on how much I spend on people for Christmas this year too. I basically won't be out of the red for a very long time. Maybe I should start buying lottery tickets...

Still Waiting...

Unbelievably enough, I still haven’t heard from G2…13 days after my second interview. I was told they’d call me either way by Wednesday at the latest.

I’m so glad I accepted the Edmonton Police Service job. I started on Tuesday and it was actually a fun day. It started with my I.D., then a mug-shot, then fingerprinting, then a tour. Everyone was so excited and positive on my first day, which really made me feel guilty for thinking that as soon as I got the offer from G2, I’d be leaving (and at the time I though that I would definitely take the G2 job, and that I’d definitely hear from them on Wednesday). But with each day here, I feel less and less interested in the G2 job and more and more excited about the City job. Originally, the position was supposed to be mostly administrative, but because of my education, the entire department wants to use me. My boss even said that once I’m more immersed into my PR duties, she’s going to talk to HR about getting me more money, too! There is Media Relations and Public Affairs, and I get to help with both of those departments.

I have almost started to hope that I won’t even be offered the G2 position, so that I don’t have to make a choice between the two. It’s not that I don’t want the G2 position; I just don’t want to have to make a decision, a decision that I could potentially regret down the road.

2 Offers & Waiting...

So I was offered the Event Planner position with MacEwan.  And as much as I want to be an event planner and get event planning experience, the job was part time and required flexibility (as in, don't get another job) Hello, this is Alberta and there is no way I can live on a part time income.  I'll get my event planning chance later, I know it.

After lots of thinking and lots of friend-input (over margaritas at Julio's on Whyte), I've decided to be cut-throat.  I have accepted the City of Edmonton job today (just waiting to hear back about details).  However, if I am offered the G2 job next Wednesday, I will quit the City job.  As my friends (and even my dad, of all people!) said, the organization is looking out for what's best for the organization. So I have to look out for what's best for me.  And if I feel that the G2 job is what's best, I have to take it. But not at the chance of being unemployed.  That said, I still feel incredibly guilty about accepting a job knowing that I'd leave it if I got a better offer.  

If I don't get the G2 job, I will keep looking.  Ultimately, this City job is only 6 months.  I just want to find a great job that I can stay at for a few years.

How come being a grown-up is so hard?

Crap...it's finally happened

So today I got two phone calls...one from the City and one from MacEwan for the event planner position (the one I was sure was a total crash-and-burn!).  The City offered the job to me.  I'm still incredibly excited about the G2 position so I called them to find out when they will be making their decision.  I was told that I'd hear about the G2 job by next Wednesday.  My follow-up phone call made a good impression but as soon as I got off the phone with the G2 woman, I started worrying.  

Here's my dilemma...I've been offered a job with the City of Edmonton.  Though it's temporary, once you're "in" with the City, they usually try to help you stay "in".  While it's probably more admin work than I'd like, I'd still be working very closely with a high up person in the corporate communications department.  Because they know I've done the PR diploma, they'd probably be more likely to give me other things to work on.  I think it would still be a great experience.  The money is okay, not great, and let's face it, the headquarters aren't in the best neighbourhood (um Edmonton's downtown east...yikes!).  And with G2, it would be permanent, good money, fun creative atmosphere, better location, more areas for advancement.  But I won't know anything until next Wednesday and I have to tell the City my decision tomorrow morning. I am really unsure right now.  I'm definitely way more excited for the G2 position but I'm not sure if it's enough to pass up a decent job with the City.  I was so worried I'd be put in this position and sure enough, it's finally happened.  I've been unemployed for 1 month and 2 days and I'm definitely ready to work again, but I am just so uncertain about where!

My Second Second Interview...

So this week I had three more interviews, bringing the grand total to 6 interviews in two weeks!

I had one for an event planning position with MacEwan College, but I just got a wacky gut feeling afterwards so I have no doubts about getting that position.  Doesn't matter, it was part time anyways and I have this thing called rent that I have to pay monthly...

Then I had my first of two second interviews, this one with Catholic Social Services.  I was prepared for more grilling, but it ended up being just a skills test.  It was only down to two of us for the position, so I have a 50/50 chance of getting offered the position. And then, while in the first second interview, I found out about a second second interview with G2.  I was so excited! I had the interview today at 10 and I think it went well... I really don't want to jinx it so I don't want to say anything more.  Last night I got a call from the CSS lady and I called her back today but still haven't heard from her.  We'll see, but I should know either way by the end of the day.  I'm still really hoping for the G2...

*UPDATE: I did NOT get the CCS job.  They said that it was a hard decision to make.  

The Backyard Bunny...

So, most Edmontontonians will know exactly what I'm talking about when I refer to the bunny infestation! Personally, I think it's kind of cute and totally hilarious, but some people find them to be annoying. Maybe that's what's driven Floppy (we've named him; although now I want to call him Peter Cottontail, after the children stories) to hide in our backyard. For more than a week now, the wild jack rabbit hides in our backyard, near the play set that the previous owners left behind. I've taken some pictures and am sharing in the cuteness. We've also been giving him lettuce from our garden, but if anyone knows what else we can feed him, please offer suggestions!

I just looked out my window while writing the first half of this post and Peter's back, so I ran out and snapped some more pictures. He let me get to within about 6 feet, but I didn't want to scare him away, so I just stopped there. So cute!

2 down...1 more to go....

So I had my second interview of the week this morning. It went well, I think, but I'm getting this gut feeling and having trouble reading it. You know how something just bugs you or makes you hesitate and you don't know why? Anyways, I just had that kind of feeling after the interview. It was just so different. My first interview was with G2 Marketing, as an Account Coordinator. When I was at the office, it felt fun and youthful. When I was at my interview with Catholic Social Services today, it felt really formal. Maybe I'm not looking for formal...I don't know. My interview tomorrow is with the City of Edmonton, specifically the Edmonton Police Service in their Corporate Communications department. I'm still really excited about that position, despite the fact that it's only for a 6 month period. But I think that if I got offered both positions today, I'd probably pick the G2 job over the CCS job. The other problem is that CCS will be making their decision quickly, while the other two will probably take at least a week. The more I think about it, the less enthusiastic I am towards that job. I don't mean to be so picky but I want to find something that I can stay at for a few years and I'm worried that I'll get bored too quickly. I think I need to make a Pro/Con list for the positions...

Friendships & Loss...

With my unemployment, I've had a lot of time to reflect on my life, specifically my friendships.  I love PL and he is truly my best friend.  I would say the next person I'm closest to is my big sister, who lives in Vancouver right now.  The distance makes it hard though.  And as I think on my girl friends, I really don't have anyone else who even comes close to being a best friend.  I have three friends, M, E, and C, who are all good friends.  But none of them come close to being a best friend.  I think that we "spark" with members of both sexes.  I think there are people you meet who you just click with and you have a friendship or more (depending on your sexuality).  I had a spark with a coworker, S, and we were best friends for about 18 months.  We worked together, and hung out after work a lot, but never fought.  Then I went back to school and left the company we both worked for.  And she met a boy.  I went from seeing her daily to see her once every 3 or 4 months.  When I eventually called her on it, she gave me some lame excuse that she wanted to give me space while I was going to school, so I could focus on it.  And I realized that she had turned into one of those girls who get in new relationships and disappear.  She's engaged to this doofus now (I don't like him based on the fact that he's obviously not encouraging her to have a healthy life outside of their relationship) and even though I'm done school, we talk only by email about once a month.  I feel like I'm always being ditched by girlfriends.  My friends always seem to move on to better people, and I'm always left behind alone.  

Lately, I've felt that I'm becoming a 60-year-old hermit and I've really been wanting to go out.  My entire life I've been wanting to be further along than I actually am, for example, while in junior high I wanted to be in high school, when in high school I wanted to be in college, in college I wanted to be finished, and now that I'm finished, I just want to get married.  So instead of appreciating every part of my life, I'm constant trying to push myself forward, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm worried that one day I'm going to reflect on my life and realize that I missed out on just having fun.  But unfortunately, I have no one in my life to do that with.  Out of the three women I mentioned before - M, E, and C - two are married and one just ended a relationship (and isn't really the partying kind of person).  I'm just scared that I'm going to look back on my 20's and wonder why I became such a reclusive bore!

From losing 1 to gaining 3...

I can't believe it's been 10 days since I last posted something! I thought I would be more active on my blog, with my unemployment.

In the 10 days, I lost an interview (took too long to get back to them), and gained 3!  I had one yesterday that I think went really well, but there's some drama that may prevent me from getting the job.  I was basically told that I would be called for a second interview for next week, but we'll see.  I will explain more of the drama in another post... I have one interview tomorrow with Catholic Social Services and then my City of Edmonton interview on Thursday.  So I'm incredibly thankful for some progress on that front! I'll keep you posted on the success of the other two interviews, probably on Friday.

Another job possibility...

"Your resume has been forwarded to the hiring manager for further review".  Freakin' finally!

I applied for a City of Edmonton job in the corporate communications department of ___.  I'm leaving that part blank so I don't jinx myself. Of all the jobs I applied for , I'm actually the most excited about this possibility, so I'm going to tell you about the awesome moonwalk I did in my living room when I read those 12 little words!

Mostly Moved and Still Looking...

So as my title says, I've mostly moved in.  Being unemployed this past week has certainly helped the process; lots of day time hours to unpack and unpack and unpack!

Our house is even better than I remembered.  It's been total bliss, unpacking in a home where we actually have space to put things.  I'm still working on the office and the master bedroom.  And on the plus side, I need less stuff from IKEA than I originally thought!

And on the other part of my title, I am still looking for jobs.  I just find it crazy that I have heard so little from companies.  I thought Edmonton was a boom town and businesses were struggling to find good entry-level workers? 

I applied for this communications assistant position on August 14th, the job closed on August 18th, and I heard from them about an interview on September 4th. I was completely shocked to hear from them because I had naturally assumed that not hearing anything after 18 days after the job closed meant that I was not going to hear from them ever.  Nonetheless, I have an interview for Wednesday morning next week and I'm totally excited.  

Originally, when I started searching I thought I'd be okay accepting an administrative assistant position in a cool company but after reflecting on it for a while, I realized that I'm not willing to settle.  So I've narrowed my search to communications jobs or temp. admin jobs.  

My big thing is to keep moving forward.  I think if you stop trying to move forward, you start to get into situations that make you unhappy.  Even with our house search.  PL was looking for basement suites in addition to main floors, but I told him that we should push to move forward and only look at main floors.  I just wanted us to be constantly pushing for something better than before. Maybe that's really superficial or shallow of me, I don't know.  Shouldn't we always be striving for better, instead of settling for less?

Last Day...and more Job Searching

Hmm, so it's almost over now. I've written notes of what I did and how to do it, for whoever takes over my duties. I've deleted programs I downloaded. I've removed my personal files. I've written the short-but-sweet Away message for my Outlook email. I'm so done and so ready to leave. The hours couldn't tick by fast enough for my liking!

Yesterday I heard from two places regarding my resume that I put on Monster. Neither are really what I want to do but I may have to suck-it-up and do some crappy filing/reception jobs at least to pay the bills.

PL, my boyfriend, came home last night. It was great to see him. All the crap I've been dealing with, on his behalf, is now being transfered to him and I don't really feel to bad about that. I'm a very understanding girlfriend, and I don't mind helping friends and bf's, but I'm not a doormat and lately I've felt like one in every aspect of my life. Personal and work.

Moving Fun

So I'm using this blog for more than just the career side of my life. I'm not going to share with you the chaos that has been my life the past few months. Okay, maybe chaos is a bit exaggerated...

I'm going to take you all the way back to last August, when my boyfriend of 3 years and 7 months dumped me. After lots of crying, a fun weight loss (the only nice part of an unwanted break-up), and 6 weeks, we reunited and are still together. Things were going amazingly well and we were incredibly happy. PL (again, anonymity to preserve privacy) was visiting his family and I bused down to see them in between Christmas and New Years. When we came back, I basically moved in. We just went to his house and my suitcases haven't left since. So unofficially, we've been living together since January.

In March, he officially asked me to move in, and after lots of difficulties (and paying rent for an empty apartment), I was able to sublet my place. So I moved all my things into my boyfriends place, and the Monday after the weekend I moved, we found out that the owners were selling and we would have to move in 3 months.

So we found a cute house to rent for July 1. We had always viewed it filled with things, so the problems weren't visible until we did an early walk through and discovered that the house was a total shithole. Broken windows, the aromatic smell of dog piss, an ant infestation, an illegal basement suite that we were responsible for renting (so the owner couldn't be held liable, nice), mold problems....it was awful. So we backed out, and incidentally are still waiting for our security deposit to be returned. But I could have a whole different blog on that topic...

And then we finally found a gorgeous 60's bungalow that was in good shape. After a few days of negotiations on the rent, we were able to get it for a great price. It's a three bedroom main floor. We get the backyard and the garage, with a working garage door that we can actually park our car in. I am so excited for this place and every time I think about it, I can't wait to be in it. We move in exactly 3 days, and I couldn't be more excited!

Job Hunt Fun

I thought that Edmonton was in a boom and desperately needed entry-level workers? Strange that even though I've applied to more than 20 places, I have only heard back from 2. It's got me freaking out, like I attached the wrong resume and instead of the one that lists my more-than-2-years' administrative experience, I attached the one that said "FUCK YOU I DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID JOB". Silly me, I must remember to attach the right one next time...

On the positive side, I found a job that I think would be perfect for me. I applied on Monday for it and the posting closes tomorrow. I'm hoping to hear from them early next week, hopefully right after the long-weekend.

Now this is a story all about how my life got flip turned upside down...

Okay, so my story is the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air lyrics but this job certainly flipped things around. My mom works for this organization (no names to have some privacy preserved) and they had a communications manager. Over the weeks, we arranged it so that I would complete my two month practicum there, with the manager as my mentor.

Well, the Friday before I went into my last week of school (also finals week, unfortunately) the manager quit. I was totally panicked but then reassured by the executive director that I would still get guidance and that I would still get many learning opportunities. I should have left after the first week...I was told there would be things on my desk that I could get started on right away, there weren't. The communications manager had mentally checked out and was more concerned with taking his stuff home than actually training me for anything.

After he left, it was worse. I only had a few projects to work on and my days were mostly filled with trying to entertain myself at the same time as trying to look busy (so I didn't get in trouble for looking at Hotmail, Facebook, and Perez Hilton). Close to the end of my practicum, I found another position that I thought looked promising and applied for it. We agreed that I would take a week to sort out this new position, or come back for the rest of the summer, at which point we'd talk about my "future" again. Well, the great job fell through, and so begrudgingly I returned for the next two months.

It was like a ghost town for projects, tumbleweeds were collecting in my office. Every time I initiated anything, I was shot down or in trouble because I didn't do it right. However, the only feedback I got was negative and I never got guidance in the first place. So finally, two weeks ago, I decided to leave. I wrote a letter for the executive director, stating that I would be leaving when my contract was up on August 29. She barely read it and didn't display any real reaction. With every other job, when giving my notice, I always got the "oooohhh, that's too bad. We'll miss you, you were great, etc. etc." but with her it was nothing. Her lack of reaction basically reaffirmed my determination to leave, even though I have no other job lined up.

3 days and counting...

I'm on 3-2-1 Day at my practicum position. I'm a communications assistant at a non-profit housing organization. This first job out of school has certainly not been what I expected, and not in a good way. I'll post the whole story soon...