The Search Is Over

Friday, October 21, 2005 | 0 Comments

I FINALLY GOT A JOB! And what relief! SSB has less than 2 weeks left at his current job before they shut the place down.

I ended up landing the job connected to the botched email. Funny thing is, the other day I checked the email that she sent to me and she mispelled "ad" as "add"! HA! I interviewed with her last Wednesday, but it went so well that I was afraid that I would jinx it by talking about it.

But I have the job now, so I can talk all I want! I love it so far. It is in an appraisal office. I have already gone through 6 closings in the last ten years, so I'm pretty familiar with the paperwork, lingo, and procedures. There is still TONS to know, though. I am going through two weeks of training, which I hope is enough! The person training me is a sweetheart, but she does not cover things in an organized manner. I am pretty good at guiding tutors to teach me better, so I'm not too worried about figuring things out. And as is my efficient nature, within fifteen minutes into my training I showed her how to make one of the office reference documents much more useful by suggesting that she use hyperlinks for website references. She was amazed that she hadn't thought of that in the 1-1/2 years that she had been working there. She was giddy for the rest of the day as she used the document and could just click in it to get to the website instead of having to find it in the bookmarks. And the owner was there when I suggested it, so I made a good impression with her too.

I'm really glad that I was able to make such a good impression the first day, because I was not her first choice. It was between myself and another person. Initially the other person had gotten the job, but by the end of the day, she turned it down, and the job was mine! Whoever you are- THANK YOU!

17 Comments

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Blogger sands of time said...

Im first to say congratulations on getting the job.You must be sooo happy.
Hugs to you June

October 21, 2005 11:20 AM

Blogger Shannon said...

Yay! Congrats!

October 21, 2005 12:30 PM

Blogger The Doc said...

Awww yeah! Now it's time to buy a lot of celebratory beer...and ration it out responsibly.

October 21, 2005 1:30 PM

Blogger Derek Knight said...

way to go!

October 21, 2005 1:51 PM

Blogger Dr. Who said...

All right! Luck smiled at you :)

October 21, 2005 2:26 PM

Blogger ORF said...

WOOHOOO!!! Way to go, woman! I'm so excited for you :)

Are you working for the county appraiser's office? I look at property valuations all the time for my job b/c property holdings are good wealth indicators for donors. I love poking around on those sites!

October 21, 2005 3:37 PM

Blogger sideshow bob said...

Yay!!!

Big ups! So many little things happened there, you could tell it would all end well. Dr. Who is right...Luck smiled at you, but first it effed with you for just a little bit, because she is sweet but mischievous, just like you.

October 21, 2005 4:12 PM

Blogger nope said...

Congratulations, Sylvana.

October 21, 2005 5:27 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Pink Lady, yay! You were first! And thanks for the hugs!

Shannon, you look so happy for me ;)

The Doc, ration beer? Are you a commie?

Derek, thanks! You too look rather excited for my good fortune.

Dr. Who, I feel like it has. Thanks.

Thanks, ORF. I'm excited too!
I'm working in a private firm.
Did you become a stalker before or after you got your current job? ;)

SSB, ha! I always feel like I am in the middle of the longest running practical joke.
Sweet and mischievous, that is so sweet! And that is so me.

Indiaiynke, thanks! I'm so happy to be part of the working class again!

October 21, 2005 7:00 PM

Blogger OldRoses said...

A HUGE congratulations to you on the new job. And doing so well on your first day!

October 22, 2005 1:49 AM

Blogger evilsciencechick said...

Congrats! Now you'll be the breadwinner of the family! and you can come home from work and ask SSB "where's my pie, beeotch??"

heehee...just kidding!

October 22, 2005 6:09 PM

Blogger evilsciencechick said...

holy shit...that is a long-ass spam comment!

October 22, 2005 8:46 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

OldRoses, I may not be the poster child for front desk office worker, but she is getting a bargain by hiring me! Efficiency is my speciality.

ESC, he'll be my kept man ;)
I think that was the longest spam comment that I have ever gotten! I always wipe the spam clean so there is no link from my site beaconing out to other spammers that the water is fine here.

October 22, 2005 9:32 PM

Blogger Wendy A said...

Way to go! Lots of luck in your first few weeks!

October 23, 2005 5:20 AM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Wendy A, thanks, I will need it. I've never had any formal training in office work, so I need to learn a lot there too. My keyboarding skills are practically non-existant compared to the girl that I am replacing. But I told the owner that before she hired me, so I'm sure that she is willing to give me time to show what I have to offer.

October 23, 2005 4:03 PM

Blogger Sandy said...

Way to go Sylvana! Getting the job is the hard part,everything else you'll figure out.

October 24, 2005 10:43 AM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Sandy, that is exactly what I was thinking!

October 24, 2005 11:43 AM

The Ladies Man

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 | 0 Comments

I have been getting reports from my friends of seeing JD around town. They all say that he is surrounded by a group of girls! In fact, when I go to pick him up from school when he misses the bus, I pull up to find him surrounded by a group of girls.

Some of these friends were a little shocked because JD is such a science geek and they thought all that high-nerdery would certainly chase the girls away. But they are underestimating the power of sensitivity and charisma! Not to mention pure interest in people, and girls have always been a BIG interest with JD!

He has been flirting with girls pretty much all his life. By six months he was ogling the women on the Price Is Right and every beer commercial. When he was 9 months old my well endowed friend was holding him. He just stared in gleeful surprise at her large chest then said, "Wow!" It was just this kind of bold flirting that got us calling him "Our Little Dirty Old Man". He flirted with sitters, cashiers, waitresses, and friends of ours.

For awhile (when he was 4-5) he took quite a liking to Astoria. We would go out to Sunday brunch occasionally with her and JD would try to put the moves on her. He always had to sit next to her. He would do the yawning stretching thing to get his arm around her. He would lay his head on her chest. Of course he was such a cute little boy, Astoria couldn't help giggling about the flood of attention that she got from him. I, on the other hand, wondered what kind of Don Juan monster we were raising.

As he became older, his flirting became less bold, more sophisticated. While homeschooling him I would at times bring him to the university with me (where he could often answer the questions the professors posed in class with quite a bit of accuracy and poise). There he was surrounded by young, pretty women. And they just adored him! Here was a cute little boy that could talk about intelligent topics. They would flock around him, giggling. He ate it up and would beg to go to the school with me. The library staff started referring to him as "The Little Casanova".

Now he's in middle school,and the girls are still flocking to him. He definitely has something there. Now, to make sure that he uses his powers for good and not evil...

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Blogger sideshow bob said...

Could he be the next Hitch?

October 19, 2005 5:23 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Perhaps.

October 19, 2005 5:25 PM

Blogger Dr. Who said...

Finally! A science geek being successful with the opposite sex! Maybe he could teach me a couple of tricks... strangely enough, I can't find any females being interested in quarks and gluons...

heheheh :)

October 19, 2005 6:59 PM

Blogger The Doc said...

As a responsible grown-up type person, I say: "Good luck keeping that young man under control!"

As a former junior-high / high school nerd I say: "GO J.D.! Go forth and use your awesome powers!"

October 19, 2005 7:30 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Dr. Who, he's a really handsome goofy geek. He also is very good at toning down the geek when he is with non-geeky people. He has such a variety of interests that he can talk to just about anyone about anything; just like his MOM!

The Doc, I never really thought of him as a champion for nerdy guys; I think he would like that idea. I was always a big nerd fan. I never understood why girls would be so against them. Smart is sexy.

October 20, 2005 8:59 AM

Blogger sands of time said...

Goes to show that brains can be attractive.Girls know when they see a good thing.Im sure he has a killer smile as well to make them go weak in the knees

October 20, 2005 10:02 AM

Blogger Lovely Lisa said...

I agree with june...i always crushed on the smart ones in school! But, they were the ones in my classes who took the time to get to know my name, too!

October 20, 2005 12:45 PM

Blogger SierraBella said...

He sounds like a real charmer!
Bet you can't wait until High School? *yeah right!*

October 20, 2005 4:41 PM

Blogger Indigo Red said...

The everynerd hero.

October 20, 2005 6:54 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Pink Lady, he has gorgeous, dusky eyes that seem to have stars glowing in them like an evening sky. And he has slight dimples that show up in his shyly embarassed smile.

Lovely Lisa, it sure beats wasting your time on the dumb, muscly ones that barely know their name.

Sierrabella, ugh! High school!!

Indigo Red, apparently he is! He always wanted to be a hero.

October 20, 2005 8:11 PM

Blogger Astoria said...

Yeah I miss the days of being worshiped!! Remember the look he gave "J" when we were all at the Yuker party? That is something I shall NEVER forget! Our little boy is growing up to be a fine young man who will for sure make his mother proud! I know I am and I'm not even his mother!!! You are lucky to have him, and you know it!!

October 20, 2005 9:28 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

I know I went to the euchre party, but I don't really remember much else so it must have been good ;)

October 21, 2005 10:21 AM

Blogger OldRoses said...

Oh, boy...you have had "the talk" with him, right? They start so early these days. It's great that he hasn't changed over the years. My daughter was very friendly and outgoing as a child. She charmed everyone she met. But she grew into one of those nasty, sullen teens. Such a shame because she is extraordinarily bright like JD.

October 22, 2005 1:52 AM

Blogger Sylvana said...

OldRoses, he asked me about that quite a few years ago- I think he was in the first grade. I gave him the straight up version, and I think he was embarrassed. But he has asked me other questions after that, so I know that if he wants to know and is ready to know, he will come to me.

Right now, I would have a hard time seeing him as a sullen person, although after the first grade I did start to see him change that way. I didn't like that change, and that is one of the reasons that we took him out of school. I think having time away from all the teasing kids has given him the confidence in himself. Sometimes I think that kids shouldn't go to school until middle school. It gives them time to develop on their own.

October 22, 2005 10:08 PM

Naughty Neo

Monday, October 17, 2005 | 0 Comments

I went out to lunch with my previous boss, today. She wanted to catch up with what is going on in my life, and generally just misses having me around. I really miss working there too. I loved the people and the work. I hope that a position opens up soon. There are two that are supposed to be opening up, but that may not be for a couple of months. I need a job now!

I wish that I could have told her that I got the job that I interviewed for last week, but I still haven't heard from them. I'm hoping that is a good sign. I really think that the interview went well. The only major mistake I made was when she asked my about typing. I said that I wasn't the fastest typist, but I could type 40-60 wpm. She asked if I used the home keys. Now I know what home keys are. I just learned about them a couple weeks ago, but for the life of me, at that moment, I could not figure out what the hell she was talking about. So I just said, "I use short cuts." She looked at me funny, then said, "Oh yeah, right. Short cuts."

It was a great lunch. We ate at the Mexican restaurant, which I love! We had burritos and for dessert we got the flan. She had told me how great it was. And it was! Very thick and rich. It was definitely homemade. She even paid! Wow! What a great previous boss, and really, friend- she has been there for a lot of tough times. Oh why can't I just get a job back there again?

When I got home, I knew something was up. I walked into the house and neither of the dogs came to see me. In fact, I couldn't hear either of them. As I approached the living room I could hear a rustling of what sounded like a chip bag. I stepped into the room to see little Neo with a big chicken jerky bag hanging from his mouth! He looked up at me and dropped it immediately. He had cleaned the bag completely out! I locked him in the back room as punishment. The worse punishment that I can give any of my pets is time away from me and the main house. It worked for our other dog and our cat.

So where was Zero? I didn't see him when I had come into the livingroom and caught Neo in the act. I found him cowering under a desk in the office. He saw what was going on and got the hell away from the crime scene so as not to incriminate himself. Smart dog. I know that he hadn't had part of it because his breath still smelled like dog food from the morning. He knows the rules and is very good about following them, even when we aren't around. Now I just have to get Neo to that kind of obedience.

Where the hell did he get a package of chicken jerky? I know we didn't buy any from the store. Which means that he had to have gotten it from SSB. SSB likes to go to the convenience stores and buy himself treats. And he hides them around the house or in his work backpack. And he usually leaves his backpack lying on the floor in the dining room. THE BACKPACK! Oh geez! Neo had chewed a hole in the backpack to pull the snacks out. That little turd!
Zero was upset to hear Neo whining to get out from the back room. He paced for a while in front of the door. Then he came to implore me with that pitiful look that he is so good at. Sorry Zero, Neo needs to learn his lesson.

This is definitely the first behavior issue that I am going to work on with Neo. I have read a few suggestions in dog training books. Some sound interesting- my favorite is to coat some goodies with cayenne pepper and leave them around. But that will not work with this dog. He has a very good sniffer. He might make the mistake once, but he'd be able to distinguish between pepper-treats and non-pepper treats, so we'd still have a problem.

Another is to use a penny can or squirt bottle. Any one out there actually had any luck with this? I don't walk around my house with a can or squirter in my hand, and they always seem to get into trouble when you are not expecting it. That's why they get into trouble!!

My tactic right now is to keep him locked up when we leave, keep food out of reach (which will be difficult- we are habituated to well behaved pets), and some general obedience training just so he knows who's boss. I'm hoping that Zero will have a long doggy talk with Neo to set him straight. I think that he has already tried, but Neo isn't buying it.

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Blogger nope said...

Geez, how could you refuse a face like that? Neo sure knows which buttons to push. My first thought is that it's good he's locked in a room, 'cause he's liable to upchuck all the jerky, and keeping it contained in one room is a good thing. :)

Sylvana, the problem you'll have with discipline in this case is that he KNOWS he's not supposed to get into food stuffs ... and he's smart enough to do it when you aren't there. Your best bet is what you are doing - behavior modification; he understands the no-no, and hopefully he'll understand what he gets when he does a no-no. If he doesn't get into food bags, he doesn't get locked up. But that's just my thoughts - I've had dogs off and on for years but I'm not a professional dog trainer.

I tried the spray bottle bit with my cat - and he's learned it so well that as soon as I pick up the spray bottle he high-tails it out of the room. Is that smart, or what? Didn't stop the behavior that started the whole spray bottle bit. Animals. Too smart for their own good.

I am confused about the Home keys. There's two on my keyboard. I don't use them at all. I wonder what they meant? I'm sure particular software makes use of them ... but that depends on the software. If you don't get the job because of that question, I'm not sure you'd have wanted it anyway.

Why aren't you still with your previous boss? She sounds wonderful! What kind of work are you looking for? Are you signed up with job search sites? I like America's Job Bank...

October 17, 2005 3:19 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Indiaiynke, my training is in operant conditioning and behavior modification (as you can see from my link section in my sidebar). I know a lot of tricks to get the behavior I want, it just might take a while, and maybe some customization too. But, I'm always up for new ideas, because the common behavior mod techniques don't work on everyone- or every dog, in this case. The key to it, I find, is simplicity and consistency.

The home keys are the keys that you are supposed to position your hands on while typing. Two of the home keys have bumps on them so that you can find them without looking.

I'll try the job bank. I have tried other job banks without much luck, but the more places I look the better chance I will have.

October 17, 2005 4:39 PM

Blogger sideshow bob said...

I was surprised, but chicken jerky is actually pretty good...and it was spicy! I'm surprised the water dish wasn't empty when you got home.

October 17, 2005 5:12 PM

Blogger nope said...

Ah. I didn't learn that in typing class. My professional background got my typing up to about 85 wpm, and I don't need bumps to help that.

Good luck with the job hunt. And with modifying Neo's behavior. Gosh, that's such a cute picture!!!

October 17, 2005 5:13 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

SSB, see that cayenne pepper thing REALLY wouldn't work for him. I don't even think that he noticed that it was hot and spicy!

October 17, 2005 5:13 PM

Blogger Shannon said...

Wow. My dog is deathly afraid of the waterbottle, but will still chew the rugs when I'm not home. I tried every type chili powder in my house and two brands of "No Chew" spray from the local pet store- all to no avail. If she's chewed, I put her outside...and she looks contrite and sad and whines and sits out in the yard
it doesn't stop the chewing. Now she only chews new rugs...but when we first got her, it was everything. We had to crate her for a while...

I thought this was an interesting article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2127419/?nav=navoa

October 17, 2005 6:16 PM

Blogger Derek Knight said...

I've said it before, I'll say it again...

Dogs are bad news...

heh.

October 17, 2005 6:27 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Shannon, I am not of the thought that dogs are not intelligent. Although I do believe that many people make the mistake of attributing too much cognitive capabilities to dogs, I also believe that scientists are too quick to say that they have NO cognitive abilities. I have studied dogs informally for most of my life. This article that you have sent me has intrigued me. I think I will be posting about the ideas that it brings up soon. Thanks!

Derek, are you a cat person, perhaps? Or did a dog do you wrong at some point in your life?

October 17, 2005 7:02 PM

Blogger Shamus O'Drunkahan said...

Now THAT is a guilty face.

October 17, 2005 7:36 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Isn't it, Shamus? I'm hoping that spicy chicken comes back to haunt him.

October 17, 2005 7:56 PM

Blogger evilsciencechick said...

I would say crate training is the best way to go. It seems so cruel locking them up in a small crate all day, but they feel much more secure being in their little cave while the leader of the pack is away, AND it keeps them out of trouble.

I started Sadie out crate training. Now she has free roam of the house when I'm gone, but she mostly just sleeps in her crate. It might take awhile, but they do learn to love the crate!

October 17, 2005 8:35 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

ESC, I have read about crate training. I've never done it. I have heard of good results from it, so I will certainly be keeping the crate training in mind!

October 18, 2005 9:33 AM

Blogger sands of time said...

I hope a job opens up with your old boss soon.She sounds great to work for.Im sure Neo will start behaving soon.

October 18, 2005 9:53 AM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Pink Lady, I really wish that I could go back there and work. There are two positions that are supposed to be vacant in a couple of months. If no one more qualified applied, I'm sure that I would get one of them. Even the director of the library was sad to see me go.
Neo is smart and I think that he wants to please us- that is a very good combination. I'm just not sure how much self discipline he has. I think that the smell of food might be an overwhelming factor. In that case it will be up to us to make sure that temptations are kept out of reach.

October 18, 2005 12:11 PM

Blogger Derek Knight said...

both.

October 18, 2005 1:03 PM

Blogger SierraBella said...

I'm not a dog trainer, but do have 3 dogs.
Like you said, eliminate the temptations... although he may resort to chewing other things.

IMO, squirting works on cats because they don't usually listen to the word "No" as dogs do.

Catching them in the act is obviously the best way to deter them, but that's so hard when we humans have to leave the house.

It may take a while, but he sounds like an intelligent dog and he'll figure out the rules.

October 18, 2005 1:15 PM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Derek, that's too bad. Dogs are great! Uh, even though I have been complaining about them lately. Believe me, my cat is no angel either!

Sierrabella, I do not get the impression that he is a chewer. He just REALLY likes food. The only reason that he chewed the bag was to get the jerky out. He already has pretty much figured out the garbage is off limits- but he did pull the empty jerky bag out of it today! Just the jery bag. There is something irresistable about that jerky!

October 18, 2005 2:38 PM

Blogger Rae Ann said...

It's funny how dogs are just like kids sometimes, that way they act when caught in the act.

October 19, 2005 8:21 AM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Rae Ann, the fact that they do act like children is a great way to think about their training needs. I generally train my animals how I have trained my son- simplicity and consistency.

October 19, 2005 1:23 PM

Blogger Randi said...

my parents use the squirt bottle effect. they love it. they have/had at least 7 different bottles all over the house so if he does something bad, there is a bottle waiting. at pet stores they have something called bitter apple. i used that on my dogs and it kept my female from chewing on the walls and my bed. it didnt help her from gnawing on our hands, she would just lick it up from there...and the pepper, she would just lick it off the trash can. but the bitter apple on stuff, she hated....

October 20, 2005 7:57 AM

Blogger Sylvana said...

Randi, we have Bitter Apple for our guinea pig. She relentlessly chews on the bars of her cage to get things from us. Sometimes it is legitimate stuff like food or water, but sometimes, I don't know what the hell she wants!

October 20, 2005 9:15 AM

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