The Story of My NEW Job

About a month ago I started my new job.  How everything happened, I think it was meant to be.

As I had mentioned before, I applied and interviewed for a newly created manager position in HR.  I spent hours preparing and creating a whole notebook of information that I planned to use when I started the job.  I was a little nervous during the first interview but I was so excited about all of the work I had done to prepare I blew them away before the interview officially started.  I was offered a second interview in which I spent a great deal of time preparing.  Again, I rocked it.  But now I am getting ahead of myself.

My first interview included only HR people, but the second included one woman that was not part of HR.  We were introduced and she described what she did.  While I am standing at the front of the room ready to present listening to her explain, I found myself thinking… ‘wow, that sounds really fun.  I think I would like to do that…’  Probably not the best thoughts to have when you are about to give a presentation for a job interview!

I left the interview feeling very proud of my presentation and responses to the questions I was asked.  I believed I really showed them what I was capable of and really hoped they picked me.

Well, I wasn't picked.  And I found out I wasn't picked the same day I found out that my Grammie wasn't doing so great.  A double whammy of bad news for sure.

But it allowed me to go and see my Grammie without being distracted about maybe being picked for the job.  I am glad I was able to fully focus my last visit on seeing and being with her.

Fast forward a month or so.  A friend asks me to check out a job posting she was interested in and to give her some tips.  After I was done looking at the posting she was interested in, I thought ‘oh, why not check’.  Well, my ‘oh, why not check’ attitude changed to ‘HOLY CRAP THE DEPARTMENT OF THE WOMAN FROM MY INTERVIEW IS HIRING!!!’  Of course I had to run it by my dad to get his okay.

I applied and then had to wait.

As I left the office one afternoon I received a voicemail from a work number.  I didn’t recognize it as an HR one so I listened to the message right away.  I was offered an interview!!  I was so excited I called back right away to schedule it.  I was on cloud 9.

I then realized I would have to tell my boss that I had an interview and might end up leaving… that was going to be a shock.  I have to say she took the news very well and told me that I would do great and they would be very lucky to have me.

Well, they must have realized I was a catch because they offered me the job!  Which ended up causing drama in HR (there was a massive move based on me leaving), but I think at this point everyone is situated and going on with their working lives (just in a slightly different seat and with different work responsibilities).

It was sad to pack up my desk and know that when I left I wasn’t going to be coming back the following Monday.

My HR co-workers threw me a little going away party and everything was so thoughtful and wonderful.  It made it that much harder to leave.  But I have to say the change was a good one though and I am very glad I did it.

This was a very specially made gluten-free cake!  The cookies were gluten-free too!!  Both were delicious.

I love the new place.  It is 1000 times different than HR and I am getting to do fun manipulations of data.  My co-workers are awesome and very nice.  I am not answering the phone, though.  I did very much enjoy that in HR.  Since I have moved to the new job I have received three phone calls (from non-department people), two of which were wrong numbers and one from the person who took over my job in HR.  So a month and three phone calls, not good odds if I want to talk on the phone anymore.

And (just in case you were wondering) my ducks made it over here too.

I have a large enough work space that they all fit and I have TONS of room left to spread out and work.  I was initially worried about bringing them over, but everyone has said nice things about them.

I already have a fairly massive OneNote of all of the things I have learned so far and it is starting to rival my Records one!  I hope to be able to share it like I did with the Records one.  I know it will help out with all of the files we have notes on.  Right now they are scattered all over in different binders for different terms = much to disorganized for me.

I hope to continue impressing them with the speed with which I learn things and my ability to get them all super organized!!

What I'm Reading Monday: Infamous

I'm back!!!

For real.

I had taken a hiatus from audiobooks because my sources library made some changes.  Which lead me to listen to the radio for a couple of months.  Over the last week she was able to lend me a few from her classroom library.  I have to say I really missed being fully engaged in a book again during my long drive to work.

So I just finished up a few: Heartbeat and Love that Dog by Sharon Creech.  Both were enjoyable but only lasted me about two days!

Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby was next.  You would think that having a friend that taught this book every year would have gotten me to read it sooner!  Regardless I really enjoyed the story (and completely disliked the readers voice as my friend predicted) and can see why students love this story.  It reminded me of other books I have read involving chimps and other primates.

I am currently reading a few books (yea I can never be satisfied with just one).

The Twins of Tribeca: A Novel by Rachel Pine is the one I have been working on the longest.  I try to read during lunch at work and a little bit before bed at night.  It is an interesting book and really makes me appreciate the normal work environment that I experience everyday.  I can see where some people would compare this to The Devil Wears Prada but that similarity shouldn't take away from this books story.

The other book I just started is an audiobook (I broke down and stopped at the library on my way home last week) is Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann.  I don't know if it is just me, but so far this book has been confusing to listen to.  I think it started with a prologue but it didn't give a time frame so now the I am listening to the actual story I am confused of how the prologue fits in.  I will probably figure it out eventually.  Or just forgot the prologue all together!  That might be easier.  Plus this book is like 13 or 16 hours long!  I will be kept occupied for a week!!

Sorry for the bad quality pictures, I took them from Goodreads.

With my break from audiobooks I am behind on my 2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge!  I am 5 books behind (at my current pace).  I better speed up since I have not yet missed a goal!  So I hope to have at least one more book fully finished my next week.

Baby Shower Gift - Elephants

So I started working at a new job (which I must tell you all about at another time) and within a week was invited to a surprise baby shower for a co-worker.  I hadn't met her at the time, but knew that I would rather make something than buy something.  The mom-to-be for a second time, knew she was having a girl but was worried about the possibility of the tech being wrong on the gender.  So I planned to make a gender neutral gift. you know, just in case.

While I was in JoAnn's searching for Janet's gift for her bridal shower (yup gotta post about that one too) I saw this absolutely adorable fabric that I immediately knew I had to use for my co-workers gifts.

It was different colored lions.

I was in love.  I didn't buy it initially because I was on a time crunch to get Janet's stuff done and could not afford the distraction of cutie little lions.

So Jon and I made a trip to JoAnn's a week later to buy the baby shower fabrics.  And while I was intent on using the lions, Jon found the same fabric but with elephants!  They were super cute too!  Then the shelf the lion fabric rested on was broken and we ended up finding another fabric with monkeys!!!  Decision.   Overload.

After much deliberating the monkeys were out because their size would not work well with my "vision" of the end result.  The lions would have been perfect for my "vision" but Jon convinced me they weren't girl friendly enough to be a gender neutral fabric.

I got home and got straight to work on my plan.

I wanted the elephants to be outlined in embroidery of the same color.  A little texture and some fanciness at the same time.  With that done I went ahead and backed it with light green minky fabric.

Turned the whole thing into a taggy blanket and part 1 of 3 was done!

And it was late and I got lazy so rather than hand sewing the opening closed, I machine sewed it.  I have to say you can hardly even tell I did that!  I may end up getting lazy more often...

The last two parts I wanted to make were the ribbon outlined burp clothes I usually make.  I had found ribbon that matched the colors of the elephant fabric perfectly.  (Sorry no close up).

I have to also comment that the back of the burp clothes were perfect.  No random colored blob of "oh crap the sewing machine went stupid and I didn't realize it until I was done" thread!

I was very pleased with how well they looked together.  The mom-to-be was actually surprised by the baby shower and mentioned having never received a hand made gift like mine before.

All in all, a success.

I have several more posts planned (Julie I am going to get it together!) and hope to get them up soon.