"I'm the Girl!"

More than 20 years ago I played drums in a band. When I showed these pics to a coworker, he asked, "Which one are you?", to which I replied "I'm the girl!!!"

Anyhow, the band leader found me on the Internet recently and initiated contact. It has been a total trip to relive this era of my life, which included the divorce, being put in a home for troubled teens, almost losing my virginity at age 14, and eventually running away from home. It has made me miss making music. It made me miss being a part of a group (a clean, wholesome, respectful group of blonde honor students at the time).

I know, I know, drums aren't really music, but they are yet another creative and meditative outlet which I enjoyed very much at one point in my life.

So . . . I'm wondering if I should take them up again, perhaps bongos or something quieter/more portable. . . .

Thought for the Day

“The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gratitude

Lately I have been laughing and smiling a heck of a lot more and there is so much I am grateful for:

being there for my divorced friend on Valentine's Day
seeing "he's not that into you"
morning walks with my dogs and how much better my lab mix is getting off leash
getting perfume and wearing it again after 10 years without
the beautiful orchid an employee gave me
getting a raise for an employee who will be taking on some of my responsibilities when I leave
being able to afford flowers for my admin support person
our new home loan that will free up some disposable income
my new job
my new boss
my new coworkers
the professionalism my old boss is exhibiting in my leaving
knowing that this is temporary and that he's still an ass, so I have NO regrets
lunch dates every day for 2 weeks
my donut date with my husband this morning
making my son's lunch this morning with his help
running into friends at the donut shop and during the walk
being recognized by the bank teller as the mom of the kids' with the savings accounts
having polite children
scheduling our family portraits for March with our wedding photographer
finding a pair of jeans that fit - the first pair I tried!
not feeling like I need a 2+ glasses of wine after work each night
only working 3 day weeks for 3 weeks instead of the typical 2 weeks notice
my friend's educational program really taking off and taking shape
her ability to recognize the role and importance of marketing and defending the cost
future trips to the bay area!!!
my upcoming vacation to Mexico with the family before starting my new job
shopping for a blackberry for my new job
being able to donate blood and the car washes I get in return
the sincere gratitude that many of my employees have expressed for what I've done for them these past 3 years
feeling absolutely certain that this job change is right for me and having my eyes wide open about what it will entail
my husband's willingness to work with me through all sorts of drama
my husband's willingness to run the home while I take this new job
having so much to share in my gratitude post
feeling like I could go on for 100 more lines
date night tomorrow night

I Quit . . . for real this time!

It's been over a year since I declared "I Quit" on this blog and I have patiently worked through the longest job search of my career.

8 resume revisions, >10 interviews, and about 25 thank notes later, I landed a fantastic job in the private sector.

Last night, I quit. Words can hardly begin to describe how good I felt and how happy I was last night. College graduation doesn't even compare to this feeling.

I have a great new boss who is respectful, kind, highly intelligent, and works collaboratively with his people. I have a new culture focused on quality and friendliness.

Check it out: RMC Water and Environment.

The boss was shcokingly cool and had some pretty amazing things to say:

"That's a great company - really up and coming"
"You are going to do great there"
"You have better for my career than I have been for yours"
"You are a great manager"
"People here really like you"
"I would hire you again in a minute"
"Are you willing to work for us as a consultant?"

I was really taken aback. My therapist said that he felt he could finally say these things as I no longer was a threat. Wow.

This is going to be so good for me - I deserve this.

Did I mention that it will take me to the Bay area about once a quarter!!!!!

Thought for the Day

It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe.
- Muhammad Ali

If I were the breadwinner . . .

and my husband were the househusband, I would like him to (* is stuff I currently do - he actually does the other items already):

Do the laundry
Take the dry cleaning in
*Do the grocery shopping
*Plan and prepare the meals, especially weekday dinners
*Prepare the kids' lunches (at least half the time)
Manage the kids' homework responsibilities
clean house (would be willing to pay for this)
*mow the lawn (I would be willing to do the other gardening: edging, planting, etc.)
*Take the kids shopping for shoes and clothes
*Keep track of birthday parties and presents for birthday parties
Potty the dogs during the day
Keep track of dogs' medications, vet visits, etc.
*Feed the dogs
Take the kids to doctor/dentist appointments
Stay home with the kids when sick
Volunteer (such as cub scout leader)
Maintain the cars

Stuff I would do:
work a full-time job upon which my family can comfortably live:
- bring home an income sufficient to run the household, fund a retirement account for my husband, pay for vacations and occassional family/date nights, etc.
- provide health and dental care for entire family
- fund my own retirement account
other gardening
weekend outings with kids
volunteer (playgroup leader and occassional Girl Scout stuff)
groom dogs
clean cars
give kids their allowance and take them to the bank
track birthdays for relatives
track presents for Christmas, other
manage kids' thank you note writing to relatives

Did I forget anything?????

What I Want in My Next Job

Flexibility - to attend school functions and doctor appts as needed

Limited/no weekend work

4 weeks of vacation per year

Ability to max out my retirement savings along with company match

Health benefits for me and my family

Management responsibilties for a team

Good relationship with boss

Be home in time for dinner 4 out of 5 nights

Limited travel - a night every few weeks is okay

Potential for every other Friday off or half day Fridays in exchange for working 9 hour days

Less than 30 minute commute

Training opportunities

Opportunities to attend conferences

Mentors within the company

If not public job, than at least a 15% (?) raise to make up for reduced job security

A Contract, maybe, with severance if laid off for non-performance issues before 2 years time

Homemaker Source

Yertle, thanks for your comments and question. The previous Homemaker job description was courtesy of http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/308/Homemaker.html. There are lots of other job descriptions there including a search engine on education.