The Vestibular Monologues: Pottery and Pilates

You seem so organized and together girl. Go for it and remember you have the whole MOL community behind ya. If you need some shelter from the rain (!) halfway thru your walk feel free to stop by my porch and say hi. Although we've never met IRl I promise not to yell at ya.

Nancy

Sorry to hear about this, Peggy. We are going through a similar situation (Mr. Eco laid off in June). He has recently tapped into a pretty good, no BS networking group. Whisper me if you want the info. Thinking only positive thoughts for your search + projects!

Your first day sounds exceptionally productive. If I had to hazard a guess, I would surmise that the thought of leaving your most recent job was flying not too far under the radar for quite some time now. In fact you seem so focused and with it in your planning and execution that might might consider teaching job hunting/life restructuring skills to others. There is certainly a demand out there for such a service.

May your efforts reach fruition in the shortest possible time!

Peggy!!!! Just read this!!! :shocked::cry::swingin:

So sorry to hear the news though it sounds like you are already picking
yourself up and dusting yourself off. You're the woman!

I would LOVE to join you, Melissa, Meta etc. for lunch this coming week
if everybody's schedule works out.

:thumbup:

Posted By: libraryladyYou seem so organized and together girl. Go for it and remember you have the whole MOL community behind ya. If you need some shelter from the rain (!) halfway thru your walk feel free to stop by my porch and say hi. Although we've never met IRl I promise not to yell at ya.

Nancy

My thoughts are organized, and I'm moving forward in something of a daze at times. I go through periods when I feel energetic and optimistic, and then other times when I start to shiver and wonder if it's really going to be OK. Impossible not to feel that way, I suppose. Too much hangs on my finding a means of generating income again.

I know that when I stop actively pursuing stuff and there's a lull, it's going to suck. I have never been good at simply waiting for something to happen, so activity is what keeps me sane. When I run out of things to do... ugh.

Wish I had seen this halfway through the walk, Nancy, I would have stopped by. Maybe another day. :bigsmile:

Posted By: joan crystalYour first day sounds exceptionally productive. If I had to hazard a guess, I would surmise that the thought of leaving your most recent job was flying not too far under the radar for quite some time now. In fact you seem so focused and with it in your planning and execution that might might consider teaching job hunting/life restructuring skills to others. There is certainly a demand out there for such a service.

May your efforts reach fruition in the shortest possible time!

This idea has been in the front of my mind for almost the whole time I've had this job. I realized with quite a jolt in my first half-year working there that the owners/executives were extremely bad managers and unscrupulous to boot. And I could keep you busy all day with stories about the CEO, who is quite simply the most miserable, nastiest human being it's ever been my displeasure to meet. But that would be incredibly unprofessional, so that's probably the last time I'll say that publicly. Just had to get it off my chest once.

I've wondered about teach job hunting/life restructuring skills to others. Does one need a shingle of some kind to do that?

It's occurred to me for a very long time now that what I was doing was kind of fun when it went well, even creative, which I need, but not especially beneficial to humankind. And I would really like to do something now that gives back, helps people, fulfills a need for something straight from the soul. If I was truly god-fearing, I'd even consider studying to be a pastor, but I think you need to be sure about God for that.

Posted By: scullyPeggy!!!! Just read this!!!

So sorry to hear the news though it sounds like you are already picking
yourself up and dusting yourself off. You're the woman!

I would LOVE to join you, Melissa, Meta etc. for lunch this coming week
if everybody's schedule works out.

I'm with Scully here !! :peace:

Never good to hear those kind of news ...but we all know your a big girl ... and you'll land on your feet like Bets said!!!

Well, crap. I knew I would crash a little when I ran out of editor/writer ads to apply for and other very active job-seeking pursuits to keep me distracted, and it happened yesterday. Unfortunately, the stress means that my Meniere's Disease is acting up, so now I have spells of dizziness that make walking across a room a tricky business. Great. Just great.

Now I have to get cracking on the more creative stuff on my agenda. Need to finish a story I promised a friend who has a blog in the industry I used to cover, and I want to start working on a novel. There's an open house for education programs at MSU in two weeks. Meanwhile, am canvassing the job boards for teaching positions, but that makes me feel very ... I don't know ... kind of untethered, as if I'm adrift in a small boat with no direction or set course.

Now starts the scary stuff.

I'm fighting the depression by trying to finish a small project in the house or garden every day. This at least gives me small achievements to cling to. And eventually I will have a very clean house again. Too bad houses don't STAY clean once you've gotten them to that state.

When my severance runs out, I will have to decide whether to stick with unemployment or sign up with a temp agency. I guess it depends on which one pays more.

An old friend who lost his job recently managed to negotiate a temporary break with the bank that holds his mortgage. I'm not sure how long it lasts, but he says it cut his mortgage payments nearly in half for now. Pretty astonishing stuff. I should talk to our bank, especially since the mortgage re-sets in November.

Ugh.

PeggyC, one crazy angle you might try, (to keep your sanity, play the odds and open your head) is to apply for things you don't even think you're qualified for or are against the odds. Keeps your muscles toned, makes you feel like you're making an effort, and you never know.


When I got my current gig, 10 years ago, I was getting pretty concerned. I was one month from end of package etc. Applying for stuff, getting some interviews. Near misses. Anyway, and this goes back to more newspaper ad days: each day I made myself apply for 5 positions, no matter what. Mondays were apply to all boxed ads and so on. My guiding thought was: "You never know." Meaning, sometimes an HR person will just throw it out/delete, sometimes they'll pay attention and see its a match with something you don't even know about, sometimes it will actually score. That was exactly how I got with my current company. Kind of like sales where sometimes you do a very targeted effort, and sometimes you shotgun. Cuz, you never know.

BTW, unless you come up with some good stuff to do with your downtime, I'd be inclined to do the temp thing just because you never know.

Posted By: cynicalgirlPeggyC, one crazy angle you might try, (to keep your sanity, play the odds and open your head) is to apply for things you don't even think you're qualified for or are against the odds. Keeps your muscles toned, makes you feel like you're making an effort, and you never know.

I am doing that. I'm applying for stuff I've never done before but which—at least tangentially—matches my skill set, even if it is totally unrelated to my experience. I know it's too early to panic. My mantra definitely includes, "You never know..." but there are going to be times when it feels really, really bad.

I probably will do the temp thing when my severance runs out, but haven't made that decision just yet.

Peggy

On Tuesday get youi name on the substitute teacher lists for the surrounding towns.

Posted By: calliopePeggy

On Tuesday get your name on the substitute teacher lists for the surrounding towns.

Do you happen to know whom you approach to do that? Boards of Ed? I can look that up, but if the information's on the tip of your tongue (or blackberry) it would be a good running start.

I suppose if I'm signed up for a temp agency or two or three, and on the substitute teachers list, that would be a good way to stave off real poverty for awhile.

.

Peggy,
Call the Board of Ed central offices for the towns you are interested in. Or better yet go there It will give you purpose and a place to go. Also they can see you are of the sort who won't scare the children. :wink:

If you are considering temporary work be it substitute teaching, office work, or consulting, the time to apply is now rather than after the severance runs out. That way, you will be in a more positive frame of mind and not feeling that you are doing this only because you are totally out of options.

One of the few areas that is hiring in this economic downturn is the public sector. There are all sorts of government jobs out there that require good writing/research skills. This is well worth looking into even though public sector jobs are less likely to make it into most want ads. Check out the jobs available section of the jurisdiction's website (if available) or contact the jurisdiction's recruitment division or hiring officer for more information. Most NYC jobs require NYC residency but a surprising number don't. Let me know if I can help with City contact information.

Good hunting.

Peggy, just catching up with this. Sorry to hear about this, but I know from your posts you have not been thrilled with your current situation. I hope the right opportunity presents itself soon!

PeggyC - For substitute teaching just go over to the BOE in your local town and get a package. They will give you all the info you need to get processed. You will need to get fingerprinted and get a TB test too. It takes about 6-8 weeks before you can work. I've been subbing since last February so I can coach you on that if you need it.

Also, you don't need to decide between unemployment and temping. You sign up for unemployment and then when you work as a temp you put that in your unemployment time sheet as part-time work. You are still officially unemployed until you get a real job.

Thanks, Nan, very useful information. I'll get going on those things now.

Peggy you might be able to go talk to someone if you feel you can't wait for the open house. Whatever department is putting it on, just give them a call or stop by. The Center for Adult Learning (I think that is the name) may be very helpful too.

That's a thought. I'll try that next week. Why wait if I can get something under way immediately? Thanks.

D was saying that with both his current jobs, he missed out on first offers and got the jobs because he kept in touch anyway so that when the openings appeared he was first in the hiring personnel's minds. (bad grammar - you know what I mean!!) He had kept in touch with the point that he was available as locum if necessary, and skilled in more than just the mere position he had applied for - check that CV; oh, by the way, a new qualification added to it, undertaking another course of study, did you know of this conference/trade show - will I see you there? etc. With the new full-time job, the job came up almost 10 months after first contact.

Some people here have created some wonderful tools to help jobseekers get/stay organised and focused: didn't PhilC or brealer have a contacts d/base (purpose-written template) to share? Some of these things make it easier to keep that office rhythm going even though you're at home, in pj's or sweats/shorts and only needing to do 2 or 3 hours to be effective.

PeggyC, reminder to send me your resume!

Posted By: EcogirlPeggyC, reminder to send me your resume!

Oh, duh. Sorry, Ecogirl. I went out to see the family for the holiday weekend, and then got horribly sick, which drove all this right out of my mind. Will send it tonight. Actually, I'll send you two versions of it, so you can choose whichever seems more useful. Thanks!

hope you're feeling better now...

I am feeling much better, thanks for asking. :smile: I had the worst attack of full-blown vertigo and nausea/vomiting I've ever experienced yesterday. Ah, the joys of Meniere's Disease. Today is still a bit woozy and disoriented, but at least I can function. Back to the doctor I go...

Try to de-stress if you can. Believe me I know its far from easy but it is doable. Hope you are feeling fine soonest.

Thanks, Joan. One of the things doctors recommend if you feel an attack coming on is either motion sickness medication (dramamine or similar) or valium, which I think is intended to address stress (one theory about the attacks is that stress might bring on the vertigo). I actually have a naturopathic remedy that is a sleep aid based on valerian, the same plant from which valium is derived, so I've been taking that. It seemed to help yesterday, but today I am sitting on the couch working on my laptop as the world gently revolves around me, with the occasional tilt-a-whirl effect. I'm SO hoping this doesn't lead to vomiting this afternoon.

I WISH some doctors would find it in their hearts to do proper research on this, even though it's so rare that there's not much profit in it for the pharma companies. *sigh*

I hope you are feeling better. Would stretching out on the couch with your head and shoulders supported with pillows help relieve the impact of the vertigo, at least while you are working on the laptop?

Peggy - What about one of those wrist bands people use for motion sickness? Do those help?