Rachel Pulido

The Winds of Change

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:16:00 +0000

"The only constant in our industry, and in our lives, is change," so said the Principal of our company as he introduced our new CFO. I have mixed feelings about this change, as does nearly everyone else in our firm. I have been in this position for nearly one year. In that I feel I have built a reputation with our executive staff and I was looking forward to capitalizing on that reputation at review time. Now, during one of the busiest times of the year (with 20 open positions and open enrollment next month), we will be getting a new boss. I am definitely feeling a lot of uncertainty.
On the flip side of that is the fact that change is good. It is good to get a fresh perspective, a new set of eyes, and shake things up. I love the excitement and the rush of making new plans and seeing them to fruition.
I guess in the end it is just going to be a crazy first quarter!

What Am I Doing?

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:52:00 +0000

I am quite the worrier. I worry about everything, big or small, until it has passed and then I worry some more. I've come to accept that this is part of who I am and I work with it. That being said, my worrisomeness has been in overdrive since having my work hours cut in half. And even though I suddenly have more time in my day, I have been feeling largely uninspired and I haven't been writing or reading nearly as much as I would like. But I have accomplished some good things.

I have had a couple of really great interviews. The most recent one, yesterday, was for an HR Assistant position at a good, stable company that is near my home. Obviously it's too soon to say, but based on what I saw, I REALLY want this job. It pays a bit less than my current position, but money is not everything. It is a shorter commute, a much larger company, a better benefits package, and I felt I connected well with my potential boss. So I have my fingers crossed on that one.

I've also been taking a Women's Studies course at the college. My college philosophy at the moment is to take things that seem interesting until I decide what I want to be when I grow up. I am planning to take the math and English assessment tests in April (eek!), at which point I can take some general ed classes as well. Back to the point. I'm taking a women's studies course and so far I'm finding it a bit dull. It seems I don't agree with all feminist concepts. Unfortunately, I think it may have something to do with the writings in the book, as I feel a good portion of it is outdated. But the class just started so perhaps we haven't gotten into the meat of things quite yet.

And I think that's all I've got going on. We (the husband and I) sat down yesterday and reviewed our situation and I feel much less stressed, which has made today an exceptionally good day.

Cross your fingers that I get the HR Assistant position. I want it I want it I want it.

Un(der) Employed - The Saga

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Last week (Wednesday) I had a serious conversation with my boss. I expressed that I was concerned because he had reduced the base pay of a couple of our recruiters. I noted that I understand we are in a period of change due to the economy, but I needed him to know that I was worried about how I fit into the company. The result of the conversation was that my hours were cut in half and I was advised to find alternate employment. Well, technically that wasn't a direct result of our conversation, I had seen it coming, but it was still shocking.

That day I immediately went home, wrote my resume, had a good friend and recruiter review it, then posted it on Monster and Craigslist. I then submitted it to about 25 different positions, tweaking the resume and my introductory paragraph for each one. I texted or called several of my friends to let them know I was looking. I submitted my resume to four different staffing firms.

Oh, yeah, and I freaked out. Who wouldn't freak out? This was the worst possible time for something like this to happen. Not that there is ever a good time.

Since then, I've had one interview, and I think the position is promising. I've tried to keep a positive attitude, but it's difficult. I want to enjoy this new-found free time, but it's impossible to enjoy this time when I don't want to have time off, I want to have a job. I continue to work my half hours at my current position while I'm looking for a new one. It's all very frustrating. Especially because as I do my research, I realize how few jobs there really are.

My confidence that I will find something in my ideal pay range is fading. The interview I had may still pan out, but if it doesn't I'm very concerned.

What Does Christmas Mean To You?

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:44:00 +0000

Christmas means a lot of different things to different people. For some it's about family, others about presents, traditions, snow. Everyone has a vague idea of what Christmas is about, what it stands for, why it is important. I don't think that anybody's reason is wrong, but I do think it's something each of us should think about and know about ourselves.

My thoughts on Christmas have changed quite a bit over time. Growing up one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I did not celebrate Christmas. I remember driving through neighborhoods, envious of the pretty lights, the gorgeous Christmas trees in front windows, fun, inflatable Santas and snowmen. I remember my parents complaining about listening to Christmas music in the stores, the lines, the "bell ringers" out front. It was awkward knowing what to say when wished a Merry Christmas. I could not return in kind, but did not want to be rude. And of course I had to be coached on what to say if someone asked what I wanted for Christmas, what I got for Christmas, etc. A whole lot of effort went into not celebrating Christmas.

After I stopped being a practicing Jehovah's Witness, I must admit that Christmas was about the presents. Hey, it was a new thing for me. And the decorations. I bought boxes and boxes of ornaments that first year, not really knowing how to decorate a tree, and endured a little ribbing from my husband. It was fun. I wanted everything to be absolutely perfect. Things didn't go exactly the way I wanted them to, but looking back it was perfect because it was ours.

This will be my fourth Christmas. And now Christmas is more about spending time with my husband. We are such busy people and we're both looking forward to being our family - each other. We're building our own little traditions. Of course I'm still into the presents! But I've found what is really important about the holidays. It's our family. Our little family of two that will hopefully one day be a bigger family. The stores and the traffic and all that don't really matter. Happy time together matters. And that's what Christmas means to me.

It's All Okay

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:50:00 +0000

I am someone who is very hard on myself. I think that, really, most people are hard on themselves. It could be childhood/parental issues (such as in my case), peer issues, or just the kind of issues that the person came with. Everything has to be perfect and then, wouldn't you know it, it's just not good enough. I never try hard enough, I always quit, I start things I don't finish, my house isn't clean enough, the dinner wasn't good enough, the presentation wasn't pretty enough, I'm not skinny/pretty enough, blah blah blah. You know the drill. It's nothing knew. Thankfully (or perhaps unfortunately), I am not unique. Yes, I constantly have those voices running through my head. And yes, I sometimes answer them (don't you judge me! You answer them too).

As a general rule I handle these issues in some fashion, usually bottling them up inside, and then at some point I break. I used to freak out on a very frequent (almost daily) basis, but I've gotten better. Sometimes, though, I just feel too overwhelmed and nothing is going to help except a good cry and cuddle from my husband. And then he says the sweetest things and I feel better. Last night was one of those times I was freaking out. I think about not working out. And then it branched off into other things, as these things do, and it just kept going. All the things I start and don't finish (like the blanket I started to crochet about two years ago), or the book(s) I'm the process of reading, or blogging. Whatever.

He reminded me that growing up I was very sheltered. I was homeschooled and my life revolved around my religion and I didn't really get to have hobbies. So at this point in my life, it's ok for me to try lots of things. It's ok for me to dabble and then leave it alone and then come back to it and so forth. It's ok for my hobbies to be video game playing and TV watching and comic book reading and blog reading. (Yes, I am super-nerdy.) And I felt tremendously better. In fact, I still feel better. All of the things I do, I do because I want to. I'm allowed to do random things and it's ok because I'm still a responsible adult. I have to say, I have a renewed sense of peace with myself.

And, for the record, the husband also tells me that I'm beautiful and a good cook and a great housekeeper even though I'm not the housekeeper and so forth. I tell him he just says those things so he can sleep with me. :-P

What I'm Thankful For

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:40:00 +0000

This time of year, it seems every blogger is doing this post. I think it's especially important this year with all of the economic uncertainty and instability around us. We need to remember the good things in our lives and remember to appreciate and be thankful for them. So here are a few things I'm thankful for:

I'm thankful that on March 8, 2005, (my 18th birthday) I left my parents home and never looked back. As bad as things were there, it was still very, very difficult. But that decision changed the course of my life for the better.

I'm thankful for my husband. I know that's a bit cliche, but I truly feel lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive person in my life, and to know that he'll always be there for me. He's been there for me during some of the most difficult times in my life, and he will continue to be there.

I'm thankful for the life we have built. I am a firm believer that your life (and everything in it) is what you have made it, good or bad. My life is amazing and (as cocky as this sounds) I have myself and my husband to thank for that.

I'm thankful for our military. These men and women have volunteered to sacrifice their lives, their families, their relationships in order to protect all of us. Because of them, we can enjoy our Thanksgiving and all of the things we are thankful for in peace.

I'm thankful for the really great friends I have made. It's a lot of work making friends. I had to start all over with friend making three years ago, and I'm truly thankful for the incredible friends I have.

I'm thankful that I have a job. It's not glamorous, but it's a good job. I've been here for three years and the job has been really good to me. It's been worth the blood, sweat, and tears I put into it when I first started.

I'm not much of a religious person. I tend to say that God and I aren't speaking right now. And I'm thankful that I can say that. I can say whatever I want. People like to complain about our country and point out all of the problems with it and our tumultuous history. You know what? The only reason you get to say all of that is because we do live in such a great country. We can believe what we want, say what we want, and directly influence the way our country is run. While there are still problems that need solving, we need to remember all the good things about our country too.

And that, in a nutshell, is it. I could go on about what I am thankful for. But don't let me do all of the talking. What is one of the things you are most thankful for?

Life . . . Keeps Going

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:47:00 +0000

It's odd that just because you may be having an off time, things don't stop to let you catch up. In fact, they tend to go faster. I can't believe I went so long between posts. The funny thing is that every day I get a reminder from my Google Calendar agenda, letting me know that I need to post on one of my blogs. What do I do? Archive it. Which I can do because, well, they're my blogs.

Often in life things start to get crazy. And then they get crazier. It's not a big deal. It's the way of things. Strangely, during these sorts of times, it is easy to let the important things go, the things that really bring us peace. For me, blogging and reading blogs is a way to clear my head, to process thoughts, learn new things. Since I tend to think of blogging as a hobby, I seem to let it slide when I start to get stressed. Instead, I turn to "enjoyable" things, like video games, computer games, etc. Those are all well and good, but when I'm done playing, I frequently feel as though I wasted time. This is not always the case. I do enjoy playing games and they are a great distraction for me. But when I spend all my time on mindless activities, I start to feel very bleh. I feel guilty that I "wasted time", that I didn't blog, that I didn't read.

Know when I don't feel guilty about playing games? Days like today. I worked a full day, went to the gym on my lunch break, worked out with free weights in the evening, baked cookies, cleaned my kitchen, watched TV, and spent time with my husband. And I played a computer game. The moral of the story?

There isn't one, really. This is just me noticing a part of myself. It's not necessarily a flaw, it's just something I need to be aware of and learn to work with or around. And this is me getting back to the things that matter to me.

National Coffee Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:24:00 +0000

I was planning to write a post on my lack of perfection and why I *might* be okay with it, but then I heard that it is National Coffee Day, so obviously I had to post about coffee.

I love coffee. It makes me feel good in the morning. There is nothing better first thing in the morning that a smooth cup of black coffee. When I have time, I love to curl up with my laptop and coffee and browse the interwebs. I find it extremely relaxing.

I'm not sure when my affair with coffee began. I think that really it was sort of a right of passage. I started to feel I was being treated as a grown up when I got to start drinking coffee. Which is, of course, a little ridiculous because I was a young teenager. But it's all about the feeling, right?

Anyways, Happy National Coffee Day to everyone! How does coffee affect you?

Trusting Your Significant Other

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Recently on Twitter, ABKing twittered a question, "Love Byte- Is it ever okay to break into your significant others' email, you know, like, if you think they're cheating on you?" I was inspired to write a post based on that. Check out my post over on my Married Life blog! Let me know your thoughts!

I'm a PC . . . and I Love This Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:33:00 +0000

Eat that, Apple! (Even if I do love the iPod, I still love my PC.)

Let Them Play Ball!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:31:00 +0000

So, Adam Schefter (of NFL Network) reports in his blog that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is cracking down on illegal hits. He even went so far as to suspend "Buccaneers cornerback Elbert Mack one game for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Atlanta rookie quarterback Matt Ryan." Is this good or bad?

Goodell has distributed a memo to all teams that is required to be read or distributed to every player tomorrow. In part, his memo reads, "Player safety on the field is important to all of us in the NFL. Football is a tough game and we need to do everything possible to protect all players — offense, defense, and special teams — from unnecessary injury caused by illegal and dangerous hits." (http://blogs.nfl.com/2008/09/18/goodell-getting-tough-on-illegal-hits/) Good. That's what the rules are designed for. Nobody wants to see someone get hurt.

But there must be a balance. This is a somewhat slippery slope. Football is a full-contact sport. Everybody who plays professional football is aware of that and of the risks involved. Rules are in place to prevent excessive roughness, however there must be balance in enforcing the rules. Penalties change the course of a game. Is it really fair to not only enforce a penalty during a game, then also suspend a player for an entire game? Isn't it a little early in the season to try to establish a pattern of behavior and punish a player based on it?

What are your thoughts? When is enough, enough?

Blog Tagging

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:38:00 +0000

So here's the deal. Laurie Ruettiman has tagged me to post 6 random things about myself. She says they don't have to be interesting, just random. You've been warned.

1. Fall = Pumpkin Spice Lattes to me.
2. I love to play Madden NFL 09 on the PS3.
3. Every weekend, my husband and I play American Idol karaoke. We're awesome.
4. I make the best chili in the world. The WORLD.
5. I hate realty TV, but cannot live without Project Runway.
6. I have a Venom plush toy which my husband bought me at Comic-Con on my bed.

Ok, so now that you've been bored to death, I have to tag 6 more bloggers. They are:

1. Godemperorofnerds.
2. Jamie Harrop.
3. Mike Doe.
4. Kimberley Schmahl .
5. Rachel.
6. Jenn Barnes.

Hopefully I haven't tagged anybody who was already tagged. If so, sorry dudes! Remember that if you don't do it, Laurie and I will hunt you down. They won't find the body. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. :-)

Oh, one more thing. Here's the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

How 9/11 Changed My World

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:29:00 +0000

I didn't live in New York. I didn't have family there. I wasn't in business when it happened. I didn't go to public school. I was 14 in 2001. Outwardly, nothing changed for me. But inside, many things did.

I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness (I am no longer one, having been disfellowshipped). My parents were extremely strict and sheltering. I was homeschooled. I did not know anybody who was not a JW. Everything I did centered around the religion. I spent at least 70 hours a month preaching, I went to church three times a week, I studed ahead for church, I atended church functions. Religion was not part of my life, it was my life.

I remember that morning very clearly. I was getting ready to go preaching. Someone was going to pick me up at home and I was going to be out all day. I had finished showering and was walking through the living room on my way to eat breakfast when I glanced at the TV, and saw the first plane go into one of the towers. I was shocked. I stared at the TV for what seems like forever. My mother was calmly sitting on the couch eating cereal. When she saw my reaction, she nonchalantly said, "It's ok. Don't worry about it." I continued to stare and could not believe what I was seeing. Who had done this? Why? How should I feel about it? Jehovah's Witnesses are supposed to be neutral to politics, peaceful, not have an opinion or get involved.

I had to leave to be on time for a church meeting before preaching, so I left. In the car all day that was all that was on the radio. Businesses were closed. Some of the schools closed. I wanted to scream and cry ask what was going to happen, but I couldn't. My religion wouldn't let me. Instead, I went to people's doors, trying to share a Bible verse to "comfort" them. Mostly people were apalled that I was at their. There was no comforting that day.

That's the day my feelings about my religion had changed. Until then, I had blindly followed, trying to please my parents and everyone I knew. 9/11 was a wake-up call to me. How could I follow a religion that would not fight for it's people? If there is a cause worth fighting for, wouldn't it be to protect our homeland? If there is a time where it's ok to stop everything and feel the pain of the person next to you, wouldn't it be then? Instead of only feeling grief for the Jehovah's Witnesses that died that day, shouldn't we grieve for everyone? Not only those that died, but their families? Shouldn't we grieve for those who didn't die? We used the events of that die to try to preach to others the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. To try to say that our beliefs were better. But they weren't. We weren't really helping anyone, not even ourselves. I was preaching to people about a time when everyone might live forever, but that day I had realized my own mortality. That my religion did not guarantee my life. And that I was being pushed in the wrong direction.

This is not a great story like others have written today. This is not a great memorial to those that died that day, or those that have died avenging them. Nor am I saying that religion is bad, or even that Jehovah's Witnesses are bad. It's just a story of the turmoil that day caused within a confused kid. That day began a long chain of events that has led me to where I am now, a happy, healthy person with her own opinions and views.

A New Undertaking

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:43:00 +0000

If you follow me on Twitter!, you've seen me tweet about something new that I'm involved in and very excited about. I've recently gotten involved with the Invisible Youth Network. Our slogan is "Advocating for America's Youth," and we focus on helping youth get off the streets and assist those that are. The media has estimated that there are nearly 4,000 homeless youth in San Diego alone.

Although headquartered in San Diego, California, Invisible Youth Network is a national organization focusing on helping our youth. Our belief is that one more day makes a difference in these kids' lives, and can truly make all the difference. Not only do we want to assist youth on the streets, but we want to help prevent them from being there in the first place. Although the reasons for their situation may vary, we can all do a part to help them.

What can we do? First and foremost, we must spread awareness. Many people aren't even aware of the situation these youth are in, let alone thinking of how they can help.

Please visit our website to find out more about who we are and how you can get involved.

Football

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:42:00 +0000

Ok, deep breath, say it with me, "FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!!" Who is not excited? Well, probably a lot of people. But the rest of us are all over it. I love football season. I get really into it. We've joined a fantasy football league, so the games are so much more interesting. Even if my team (the Bengals) or my husband's team (the Cowboys) isn't playing, we still have a vested interest in most of the games. Sunday's spent cheering on our teams, eating nasty food like chips and dip, drinking beer (gasp). What could be better?

Along the lines of football, but slightly unrelated, we picked up Madden '09 for th PS3 this week. I have to say, Madden is back to it's incredible self. There are a few glitches on the Xbox 360, but all the strange glitches from last year have been removed. It's time for some football domination!

And in about five months I'll return to my usual, sane self. Stay tuned!

Sarah Palin for Republican VP

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:35:00 +0000

Since the news of McCain's choosing Sarah Palin for his VP hit the wire, I've not been inundated with people wanting to know my thoughts. So for all those people who are not asking, I thought I'd write a post and let you know anyway. :-)

First, let me say that politics are very, very new to me. There are a lot of reasons for that which I'm not going to get into right now. But I've only recently begun to learn about politics and how our government works and in turn become interested in it. I haven't paid much attention to the presidential race up until the last couple of weeks because, well, it was a lot to take in and it was just a bit much. But now that we're down to two candidates, I think I can handle it.

I find it frustrating that I cannot completely agree with the politics of either party. Nor can I fully buy into the policies of either candidate. So I'm left with a "lesser of two evils" situation. My husband assures me that everyone is right there with me.

All of that being said, I think the choice of Sarah Palin was fabulous. A lot of people wanted Hillary in office. Obviously Sarah is not Hillary, but a lot of voters would rather vote for Sarah than no woman at all. A lot of voters are disgruntled that Barack did not pick Hillary as his VP. And now McCain has done something that nobody expected and invited not only a woman, but someone who is quite young to be his running mate. Shocking, yes? She can bring a fresh perspective and she is someone that many people can identify with; a hardworking wife and mother of several children, one of whom is in the Army and delpoying to Iraq. She too has a vested interest in the war and whatever she is lacking in foreign policy experience will be made up by her connection with her son who will be there. I look forward to her debate with Biden. I'm excited to see how she handles herself and what she plans to bring to the table.

Everyone has a different opinion, especially on a subject as volatile as this one. Tell me in the comments what yours is.

Recruiting Database Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Fair warning - This is a rant against both Recruiters and Candidates. Please bear with me on this.

As the Office Administrator (or the "She'll Do Anything You Need" person), one of my responsibilities is Database Maintenance. We switched to our current database about two years ago and this new one is my baby. When we switched over, I went through the entire database person by person looking for duplicates, merging them, formatting resumes properly, entering information in the correct places. Obviously I have an attachment to the database beyond most people here. Currently I try to keep tabs and make sure no more duplicates are added, I format resumes before we submit them to clients, make sure all the information has loaded in the correct spots, and ensure that each recruiter has entered the proper notes. This is not a bad job, nor that difficult, but it is extremely tedious. A lot of resumes come in every day and that's a lot of effort to keep up. Lately I've been covering some responsibilities that are not usually mine, so this has fallen by the wayside to an extent. I've been catching up over the last couple of days, and here are some thoughts I've had.

Candidates

When I ask for a Word version of your resume, please do not send it in PDF. I know you have it in Word. Save the me the hassle of reformatting it or, worse, retyping it.
Do not type your resume in a table format. I know that formatting resumes is frustrating. Microsoft Word has plenty of very nice, clean, professional formats that do not involve tables. Or text boxes.
Clearly indicate which number is your home number and which is your cell phone. I would think this was self-explanatory, but evidently it is not.
Do not send your resume from your work e-mail address. When I ask you for a personal e-mail address, do not give me your work e-mail address. It is bad business for everyone involved to correspond through your work e-mail.

Recruiters

Listen, I know that your time is money. I know you need to be on the phone with a candidate or a client to make a placement and a commission. However, it does not take long to do these things, so please just do them. If it does take you a long time to do it, you're doing it wrong. I will personally show you to do it right. Everyone will be happy that way.

Enter all of the notes you need to enter. This is a company rule. This is not something I do to terrorize you. In fact, it makes your life easier when your notes are there. So just do it.
Search for the name before you add it. I can almost guarantee it's already in there. You probably entered it six months ago when you had a similar search.
Call me crazy (actually, don't), but since the candidate has e-mailed you their resume, I know that they do have an e-mail address. I also know that you have it. When I ask you for it, give it to me. We both know it needs to be in the database. Unless you don't want anybody to place your candidate. Which is fine with me.

I think that if we all work together, we can make the world a better place for our poor admins who are tearing their hair out to make your life easier. Of course, anybody who works with a database has a pet peeve. What's yours?

Disconnectivity

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Wow, time flies when you're having fun. Or working a lot. Or don't have a laptop so you can't get online at home very much. And if all three of those things are going on, it's all over.

I'm still without laptop. I'm saving up to buy the laptop that I really want. It's a Sony Vaio with a built-in webcam and microphone. It's beautiful. :) And although it's still a budget machine, it's a bit more than the other ones available. Still, I really think it will be worth the wait. So until I get it (hopefully in October), my online presence will be sporadic at best.

I've been working overly much lately. Since I'm doing my job as well as handling responsibilities that would normally belong to my boss' assistant, I've been a little overwhelmed. In fact, some things are slipping, which is never good. We've recently landed a huge contract (yay!), which is great, but a LOT of extra work. I'm always glad to help, but it has caused some loooong days.

Every day I seem to come up with great blog ideas. Something will happen, or I'll read something, or I'll hear something, and I'll think, "I should blog about that!" And then life catches up with me and no blogging really happens. It's frustrating for me because I enjoy blogging. Whenever a significant period of time passes without me blogging, I feel as if I'm starting over again. And that really just frustrates me more.

All of this has led me to a feeling of disconnectivity (I'm trademarking that word) with my interwebs. I'm still reading all the blogs I love and commenting when I can, but I don't feel as though I'm really dedicating the time to blogging and online friends that I should. Hopefully I can stick it out just a little bit longer and then I'll be back on the wagon with my new laptop.

Toodles!

Why I Could Never Be A Recruiter

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:37:00 +0000

This may seem odd coming from someone who works in a recruiting firm. Don't get me wrong, it is fun to work here. One person's success is everyone's success. When one person makes money, the whole company benefits. Because we are such a small firm, it's easy to see everyone's connection to each other. The flip side is also true. When nobody is making money - nobody is making money. And there is where I falter. The great times are great. But I don't see myself handling the not so great times. The stress would be unbelievable. I can hardly imagine. I feel bad enough being an Administrative person, knowing that I don't actually bring in cash flow. So to be a recruiter must be that much more difficult. Our firm specialized in homebuilding. Now that homebuilding has slowed down, we're branching out, sort of coasting until we figure out the next big thing. The tension in the office is palpable. We've downsized due to people leaving. Everyone wants to make money, and nobody is. Candidates don't have jobs and they are stressed out, constantly calling recruiters. Recruiters have no jobs for these candidates and all people involved are becoming more and more stressed out. No way I could handle it! Of course this is still a great place to work, no matter how things are going.

The Sony PSP

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:49:00 +0000

... is awesome!! I am sitting in the parking lot of the college and I'm writing a blog post while I wait. This is so awesome. My laptop is on the fritz again so my new love is my PSP. Look for more posts this way. Now if I can get Twitter to work on here....

Comic-Con 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Well, folks, my husband and I just finished our vacation. And let me say, vacations are wonderful. This was our first vacation, and we look forward to many more. That being said, Comic-Con this year was incredible. It just gets bigger and better every year. It was great to see so many people there and to see the respect that movie producers, director, and actors have for their fans. Comic-Con was huge, taking up the entire San Diego Convention Center, with programming lasting well into the night. There were definitely some characters, truly hard-core fans, as well as more casual fans, but the entire experience was well-worth it. If you've never been, it's hard to describe. No longer is it for the "nerds" and "geeks." Well, it is. But, it's also for movie and TV fans, artists, readers, you name it. Comic-Con truly has something to offer everyone.

That being said, I'm still exhausted. Check out my Facebook page to see all of our pics. I actually got to meet Seth Green! And I found out that Olivia Munn is really nice in person, which was great. I need to get some rest, but check out my pics!

Hands-Free Cellphone Use

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:03:00 +0000

As those of you in California know (and those of you elsewhere have probably heard), recently the law went into effect that you cannot talk on your cellphone while driving unless you are using a hands-free device. Many have heralded this as a life-saving law. I don't disagree. I have seen and heard of many accidents caused by talking or texting on a cellphone. Unfortunately, a lot of those accidents have caused fatalities. It is good that something is being done to control it. However, I have a bone to pick with this law.

While I do agree with the law, I feel that cellphones are being singled out of a multitude of things that contribute to or cause car accidents. If you are going to say that cellphone use causes accidents because it is a distraction, that's fine. But, there are a lot of other things that are equally as distracting. For instance, thousands of accidents are caused by smokers who are distracted by trying to light a cigarette, smoke it, dispose of the ash, or dropping it into their lap or elsewhere in the car. What about changing the radio station? That is not illegal, yet that is a huge distraction, fiddling with the volume, the station, the CD. Having passengers in the car and conversing with them is a terrible distraction. It is our nature to look at the person we are talking to, especially when we are trying to make a point. If we are thinking about the next thing we're going to say, we are not giving our full attention to the road. What are some distractions you've noticed?

I am not disagreeing with the law on cellphone use. I do think it is a good law and will help cut down on the number of accidents to an extent. However, I feel it is unfair to single out cellphone use out of a myriad of other causes of car accidents. What do you think?

There is Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:06:00 +0000

So if you follow me on Twitter (which you should be doing if you're a cool kid), then you know that my laptop decided to die on me this weekend. I have been sadly out of touch with the online world. I'm terrified to check my Google Reader for fear of how many posts I need to read. Anyhow, my point is that I was planning to put together several posts over the weekend. I have them all in my head, I just need to work them out into a post. Due to the amazing invention, Facebook, I've got a great computer guy looking at my laptop tomorrow. He says that it will probably be something simple and I'll be up and running quickly. I hope he's right! I need my laptop! So, please, bear with me over the next few days while I get put back together.

Happy Fourth of July!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:37:00 +0000

I know that it is late on the Fourth of July and most of you in the U.S. are out barbecuing and lighting fireworks. But remember to take a moment, to appreciate our freedoms. It's an amazing country we live in that we can criticize our government and the military. We can turn on the TV and watch people imitating and laughing at our president. We have the right to not only have our own opinion, but to voice it. Remember to appreciate America. Appreciate our troops, wherever they are. It is their sacrifice in fighting for our country that allows us to have those rights. Things may not be perfect here (after all, we're imperfect people), but we are all doing our best to make our country great.

So, here's to us. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, Independence Day.

Nonconformity and Taking Over the World

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:30:00 +0000

The Brain from my beloved Pinky and the Brain would be very upset with me right now. I have, in fact, figured out how to take over the world. Well, I didn't figure it out myself. Someone else figured it out and was kind enough to share. Not surprisingly it does not involve hair-brained schemes performed by lab mice. Neither does it involve wishful thinking or passive visualization. What does it take? Good old-fashioned hard work and sacrifice. Shocking, yes? Isn't it funny how we obviously know something, but it takes someone telling it to our face before we believe it? Everyone is always searching for the easiest, fastest way to reach their goals and "get ahead." Chris Guillebeau is here to tell you, that's not how it works.

Who is Chris Guillebeau to tell you such things? Nobody, really. Just some guy who has managed to do remarkable things. He has never had a typical "real job," but he spent four years in West Africa with his wife as a volunteer aide worker. He has visited 83 different countries and plans to visit every single other country within the next five years. The couple doesn't have many worldly possessions - he is a writer and she is an artist. Yet they manage to give back. Chris is the author of a manifesto, "A Brief Guide to World Domination (and other important goals)." I have to admit that when I first heard about this manifesto, I thought it would be full of lots of bull. Why is this one different?

First off, Chris targets a very specific set of people - those that want to be remarkable. Whether or not you want to be remarkable, the information in the manifesto is worth reading. He reminds us all that we can do anything we want if we put forth the effort and make the sacrifices necessary. See? Effort + sacrifice = success. Simple, really. He outlines a great plan of attack that includes planning, effort, sacrifice, and helping others. I truly believe that following such a system will help you to be remarkable - or at the very least reach your goals.

I encourage you to read Chris' manifesto, then come back and let me know what you think of it.