This and That

A few people have asked me what happened with that last job interview that I had scheduled where the lady blew me off....well, my last appointment with her was on 9/14. I waited for her call that never came...so I decided that I would cut my losses and that this was the end of the road with this company. Then a full WEEK later, on 9/21, I received an email from her apologizing for not being able to make our call. It was just a little weird because the other 100 times that she flaked out on me, she had managed to do so about 5 minutes before we were scheduled to talk. So a whole WEEK later? I guess they were having some management issues over on her side - so much so that I emailed with her consistently every other day from 8/3 through 9/14 to set up a 30 minute phone conversation....only to be dismissed like Derek was dismissed by Nikki in Save the Last Dance or how Brenda was ditched by Dylan on the original 90210. Don't lie, I know you all know what I'm talking about!

Anyway, for those of you who were interested in that story, that's pretty much it!! Oh and for the record, the company sells a product that I know everyone who reads this has used because since I only have about 7 readers, I've been to most of your houses and have seen it there!! And so, my quest for the perfect job continues....

The Hills Are Alive....

....with the Sound of Music!!

Once in a while, I feel really lucky. This weekend was one of them! My friend Amelia bought me a ticket to the sing-along of the classic music The Sound of Music at the Hollywood Bowl. And because I could, I drove down to LA specifically to go to this event. This is actually something that we've been going to for a few years and it sounds cheesy because it IS cheesy; but it's also SO much fun!

Every year, there's a pre-show consisting of a costume contest, a voice warm up where you sing the songs to the film and Leisel or Frederick or Gretel will be there to host. Then when you go to your seat, you are handed props for the film such as Edelweiss, poppers for when Maria and the Captain kiss, and an invitation to the "Captain's Ball" that you can wave around. Then when the lights dim and the movie starts, the entire audience sings along to one of the best movies ever made!! Of course, being able to bring your own food and wine inside the Hollywood Bowl helps makes this even more fun! Anyway, I'm just excited that I got to go back down to LA for this and I feel so lucky that I have such great friends to share this with!

My friend Amelia holding the invite for the "Captain's Ball," a popper for the kiss, and Edelweiss tucked behind her ear. Fun times!

Farmville for REAL!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was obsessed with a game on Facebook called Farmville. Well, not that it's a secret or anything, but I'm still obsessed! And just this week, two things made me realize that my obssession with my virtual farm has carried over into my real life. One was the San Mateo County Fair. I'd never been to a County Fair before, and I was shocked that they had all these animals there! It was so "Little House on the Prairie" country that I couldn't get enough! Weird! Second, for my first wedding anniversary, I suggested to my husband that we go up to Point Reyes, CA for the weekend to do "outdoorsy" activities. We stayed at a B&B up there and it was really nice....but this is when I seriously realized that my obsession maybe, just MAYBE has gone a little too far!! I didn't realize how far gone I was until I compared my real life pictures with my Farmville ones!!! Yikes!! Check it out:

My virtual barn.

The actual barn that we stayed in at the B&B in Point Reyes. It was called "The Nest."

The chickens on my farm. So nice and stationary.

The real chickens on the farm in Point Reyes. They run fast and eat outta your hands!

The pigs, sheep and cows on my virtual farm.

The pigs, sheep, and cows at the San Mateo County Fair. Ick.

All my pretty horses.

The horses we could see from our room in Point Reyes, CA

Virtual artichokes.

Real artichokes. Who knew they looked like this? They were taller than me!

My pumpkin patch.

The other pumpkin patch.

Anyway, after these two ventures out into the real world, I thought to myself: OMG! my virtual world is so much more appealing! It smells better, it's cleaner and it's just friggin cooler! Now that I've realized how far this obssession has gone, I'm going to limit it to online only!!

Stop Toying With Me!

About a month ago, I came across a job posting online that I was really interested in. The company has a really cool product that I actually buy and can see myself marketing. I foraged my contact list on Linkedin and found a friend of mine who is friends with some higher up in this said company. I emailed this guy and he forwarded my info to the hiring manager, who in turn had her assistant call me right away to set up an interview.

That was exactly a month ago....Since then, I've had about 6 or 7 appointments to talk with the hiring manager over the phone about this position. Each time, she emails me about 10 minutes before our appointment and postpones. Today, I was finally supposed to talk to her at 5pm. At 5:15, I get an email saying that she is stuck in a meeting that she cannot get out of...AGAIN!!

Now if this was a dating situation, I would think that they are "just not that into me" and that I should move on or play hard to get. But really, I have nothing to lose by saying "sure I can do it later, whatever." But really! Is it THAT hard to get 30 minutes of phone time at work? I mean REALLY!

This reminds me of the company that I worked for after bschool....It was a start up that was super crazed and the higher ups could never keep their schedules. Meetings always started late if they happened at all and you just could not plan your day around anything! It was kind of a mess! The worst part of the start up was that you could bring your dog in to work, which made it even messier because on any given day there would be 4-5 dogs in the office and the whole place would smell like dog shit...but I digress...

I just hope that me taking a chance with this new company is worth it. And that if I do get called in for an actual face to face interview, the office isn't covered with dog shit...

Bay Area vs. LA

So today I was talking to a friend of mine from b-school about my job search. We were talking about how saying you've done jack shit in terms of work for the last 12 months isn't too impressive, and then I told her that I've started a blog, and then she tells me, you should tell people that you're taking time off to write a screenplay! Now, in LA, I think I totally would, but up here in the Bay Area...the professional world is a bit different!! So far, here are some little things that I've noticed:

LA:

• People are impressed with "Bullshit."
• People are impressed if you say you've been in the "industry."
• Many marketing job postings don't require technical skills. Or an engineering background.
• If you say your main weakness is quantitative skills, it's AOK!
• If you smile during an interview, that's a good thing.
• If you wear a gray suit in summertime, that's also a good thing.
• When you go in for an interview or a meeting, the receptionist is usually good looking.

Bay Area:

• People see through the "Bullshit" faster.
• Most marketing jobs require a technical background. Engineers are loved.
• During interviews, they grill you on quantitative skills. Sometimes they ask you to describe Excel formulas over the phone.
• If you wear a gray suit in the summertime, you will most definitely be stared down.
• People have very international accents that I cannot place.
• There is no guarantee that the receptionist will be attractive. Or not have a crazy eye.

Ok, you're probably reading this and thinking that I'm vapid and shallow, but no - I'm just kinda wishing I had a more developed skill set so that I can find a job faster, because people up here are really serious!

I think that this video kinda sums it up...and if it doesn't, you should still watch it because it's hilarious!

Hooray for Napa on a Weeknight!!!

So another perk of not working is that my schedule has never been so flexible!! Yesterday, I met up with some friends for an early morning of yoga, then after lunch, I took a leisurely drive north to Napa to have dinner with a friend. Now normally, I would not drive 85 miles to meet someone for dinner, but it's a friend who I've known for a long time, who has lived in the Middle East for the last year or so, and who was in Sacramento for work. We looked at a map and Napa was pretty much the nicest place in between Sactown and Man Jose, so we went!



We had dinner at a nice restaurant called Angele. When we got there, we got a little bonus: Thursday is half price wine night!! We ordered a half bottle of wine (cuz we both had to drive hella far) for $60. But it was ok because it was 50% off!! Yay!



Seriously, the only thing that would have made the day better is if we had done yoga in the morning, outside, in a vineyard....with a bottle of half price wineeee.

My New Hobby: FarmVille!!

Rice and Soy Beans.

Cotton. And some fruit trees in the background.

I had a job interview the other day and while I was driving there, I had a mini panic attack! I kept thinking that if I got a fulltime job, I wouldn't be able to play FarmVille on Facebook as much as I do and what if I started missing harvests?

Yes....recently a highlight of me not working is that I get to dick around online a lot!! I've been playing this game on FB and it's a virtual farm. I just like it because I can grow trees, and plants, and have animals, all the things I can't do in real life. The most addicting part is that it has a feature where you can take a picture of your avatar on the farm!! I've taken about 30 and I've been getting a lot of shit from my friends about it, but I don't care!! It's fun!!

Chili Peppers.

Yellow Bell Peppers, Pumpkins and Squash!!!

My Aloe. It was alive and then I didn't get to harvest it and it DIED!!