Ahhh The Irony...More Job Stuff

Now that the Holidays have passed, my goal has become finding a part-time job to supplement the family's income stream.  It has become more important since The Man of the House (TMotH) has been off work (read: "Voluntarily at first then Laid-off") for almost three full weeks and the savings, once nice and plump after the Hurricane Sandy earnings, have become slim.  I've applied several different places and have updated my contacts via LinkedIn and posted on LinkedIn that I am actively seeking employment.  These measures have resulted in one completed interview and one upcoming interview (Wednesday, I'll be doing a second interview for a position as a school lunch lady - yay me!).

The completed interview was with a staffing agency for temporary office work.  I decided to check into that option since it has been approximately eleven years since I last worked a "Real Job" in a "Real Office," and the gap on my resume`, not to mention the fact that finding references from that last "Real Job" has proven almost impossible, causes many potential employers to overlook my stellar qualifications. (Seriously, a degree in Broad Field Social Studies with a Psychology Major Emphasis isn't a shoe-in for a sales position? Really? Unbelievable!)  I also am not terribly excited about re-entering the fun world of office politics; I'd rather have needles inserted into my eyes than having to deal with back-stabbing co-workers and all the drama that goes with a group of people (women in particular) shoved into cubicles eight hours a day and forced to "work together".  So, the idea of being a temp is appealing because I figure I can side-step any drama with a quick, "I don't know and don't care since I'm not here for long, thank you," while also adding "recent work experience" to my resume`.

I interviewed with a company that is owned by the company for which my best friend happens to work.  This proved advantageous when the (inevitable) question regarding references from my last office position came up: per Bubba's instructions, I replied, "Bubba is my bff and said that she can vouch for me," which quickly caused a stir (apparently Bubba is quite well known and admired in her company, a fact that doesn't surprise me at all since I am her number one admirer) and the question to be dropped.  I left the interview feeling quite optimistic that they would be able to find me a position somewhere and called Bubba immediately to thank her for letting me "drop her name."

About three hours later, a staffing person from the company's sister company called to ask if I would be willing to have him present my information to a company that was looking to fill a temp part-time position. Upon hearing the staffing person's company name, my heart began to race and my hands became clammy.  (Once upon a time, many years ago, the same company placed an inexperienced, numbers-phobic, 19 year old woman in an accounting office doing work with tax returns.  This young woman hadn't even completed her own tax returns at that point, leaving that job to daddy to complete for her, had barely passed Algebra II in high school, and had yet to complete a full semester of any college-level math - had attempted college level math but had dropped the classes upon discovering that a passing grade was not going to happen in this lifetime.  That didn't seem to matter to the staffing company, and I - ahem, the young woman needed a job, so I - she - accepted it.  I was fired by lunchtime the first day.  Apparently, having numbers knowledge is important when working with tax returns.) I questioned the staffing person about the amount of number/math-type work would be required, to which he replied, "Not too much.  Just some inventory and purchasing, but the bulk of the job is administrative." That relieved some of my anxiety, which was further relieved when he told me the flexible days and hours and the rate of pay.  At that point, I agreed to let him present my resume` to the company, and immediately emailed Bubba saying "Wow! That was fast!"  Her reply came as a huge shock: "I think it's great that you'll be working for Planned Parenthood."

HOLD THE PHONE...Where? Planned Parenthood? Seriously? No. No way. Uh-uh. Not happening.  Bubba was surprised by my reaction given the fact that we were both tossed from a "Conservative Book Club" (Read: "It doesn't matter how conservative you are, if you're not Pro-Life in every way, you're not invited back.") for being too soft on the pro-life stance held by the club (Bubba is pro-choice, I am more pro-life than pro-choice, since I believe in exceptions).  TMotH was also surprised by my less than enthusiastic response to the job offer, saying, "If you don't do it, someone else will," like somehow that point would change my mind.

I have to admit to feeling torn, I mean, it was a possible JOB, and I am looking for a JOB.  They would have allowed me to pick which days I wanted to work and probably would've been pretty nice to me.  But the idea of having to walk past protesters to get to my job at a place of which I really am pretty opposed to much of what they do was less than attractive.  Not to mention the reaction I would be sure to get from my conservative friends.  I could just see it:

Me: Hey! I got a job!
Conservative Friend: Yay! Where?
Me: Well, it's only a temp job working in an office.
CF: Where is it?
Me: Uh, do you have any duct tape?
CF: Why?
Me: To wrap around your head, just in case.
CF: C'mon, just say it.  Where are you working.
Me: Are you sure you don't want to wrap your head with duct tape first?
CF: It can't be that bad. What is it, a strip club or something?
Me:  Ha ha, yeah, that's it. I'm working in the office of a strip club.  That'd actually probably be better than this.
CF: Where are you working? I promise not to freak out.
Me: Ok. Planned Parenthood.
CF: ARGGGGGGGGGGH....(sounds of splattering as brains hit me and the walls around us.)
Me: Dang it. Another friend gone.  Should have taken my suggestion and wrapped her head in duct tape like I told her to.

Fortunately, the company didn't choose me for the job.  I'm thinking that they checked out my recent position as writer for the conservative blog the-912-project.com and wondered if I might not use any experience at their establishment as fodder for articles (not a bad idea, actually) and marked my name off the list.  However it happened and for whatever reason, I am thankful and relieved.

It's the End of the World As We Know It...Or Not?

According to the Mayans, our world is supposed to end on 12/21/12.  Many "experts" have debunked this theory in many different ways.  My personal favorite "expert debunking" is the one that points out that the Mayans didn't take into account Leap Years.  It makes sense to me that their calendar would be off from our's since we use the Leap Year system and they, having not had access to the Roman (that's the one we use, right? Suddenly, I'm not sure...) calendar as we have, did not.  I am bummed that I missed out on the levitating that we are (were?) supposed to do on 12/21/12 - if it already happened, I must have slept right through it and that is just plain sad because I really would like to know what it feels like to float freely above my bed.

My other favorite theory about the Mayans is my own (who would have guessed, right?): I think that what really happened is the guy who was banging away on those stone tablets either just got sick of it and decided to be done or he keeled over and died where he was and no one else wanted the job.  Combined with the idea that the Mayans couldn't conceive of the world lasting longer than 2012 and no one else wanting the job, they just decided to make it end on 12/21/12.  To me this is the most plausible (if unresearched) explanation of the Mayan calendar ending on Friday.

If one looks at the Biblical prophecies regarding the End of Times and then looks at the world's current events, it is hard to argue that we may not be going into the time of the Apocalypse - the wars, the famines, the unrest in the Middle East, the hurricanes, almost daily earthquakes, Barack Obama in the White House, etc. (maybe some of you don't believe he's the anti-Christ, but the jury is still out on that with some) - all seem to fall in line with the Biblical Prophecies regarding the end times.  While I believe completely in the Bible, my inner voice always seems to repeat "No one but God knows the time of the end" whenever I hear a lot of people (or even just one or two who manage to get press by "predicting" the end) start making a lot of noise about it being the END TIMES.  Not saying that one shouldn't always be viligant in keeping an eye on world events and one's heart close to God, but it has always struck me as a little ridiculous to worry about the (dah dah dah!) END OF TIMES.  Here's why:  It could be my last day on earth TODAY.  I could be making a batch of "crack corn" (Old Dutch Puff Corn covered in a cup of melted REAL butter mixed with brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses - my own addition along with cinnamon and ground cloves - and baked; absolutely addictive and yummy) and drinking my favorite Dunkin' Donuts coffee and my heart, upon realizing that I am going to being ingesting many cups of butter between now and the end of year, could just give out, making today my very own apocalypse.

My point here isn't to be heretical or blasphemous, but rather to say this:  No matter what the Mayans say or any of the others attempting to predict the exact time of the world's end, we all need to live every day like it could be our last day.  And, for those of us who are Christians, in living every day like it is our last, it is very important to make sure that we are also keeping our faith in God and staying close to him.  Because even if those who study the Apocalyptic Prophecies are correct and we actually are going into the Time of Trouble before the End, what do we really have to fear?  If God is with us, what do we have to fear?  That doesn't mean that nothing bad will ever happen to us and we'll be living in some sort of bubble of protection that keeps us from all pain and sadness as long as we're "good enough." Because if that were the case, none of us could ever be "good enough." There is evil and sickness of the mind afflicting our world, and because there is evil, bad things will happen.  But we cannot allow those events and actions of others, no matter how bad they may be, affect our faith in God.  We cannot understand the whole picture because we cannot see the whole picture as he can, nor can we understand the whys of most events. But we can allow events like what happened last week at Sandy Hook elementary remind us that our own time spent with our own kids is short and precious and no matter how much our hearts are breaking, our God's heart is breaking for his children, too.

If somehow the Mayans figured out God's time and Friday is the end of the world as we know it, I really hope that I don't sleep through the levitating in my bed part.  That just sounds like fun.

Trusting God with Our Children & Their Future

I received a phone call yesterday from my 7 yr old's teacher informing me that my daughter was being sent to the "TAB" room. I'm not sure what "TAB" stands for - when my two teenagers attended the same elementary school, it was called "PAR" - which was something about Positive Attitude Reinforcement or some such thing.  Whatever it is called, the room in question is the place they send the kids who grossly misbehave in class - my daughter had hit another child and was sent to "make a Plan" at the TAB room.  Ah, the joys of being a parent.

It is amazing how four kids can be so different.  My oldest daughter, "SwimGirl", is 16: artistic, quiet, reserved (except at the pool - then her happy crazy side shows up and she is a joy to watch dancing on the deck as she awaits her next race), responsible and sweet.  She's had her moments - they all do - but for the most part, she is by far my easiest child. She is content to read or draw, amusement on her face as she watches the antics of her siblings. My 15 year old son aka "T-Bone", is also reserved, except on the ice or lacrosse field.  Then his ultra-competitive nature comes out as he deeks his opponents who assume from his size, that he will back down from attacks.  I've watched him check kids twice his size, skate away with the puck as they sit with their butts on the ice, shaking their heads and wondering what the heck just happened.  He is smart and charismatic - a natural leader in any situation.  Always high energy and somewhat sassy, he is destined to change the world and will.

My seven year old daughter has always seemed to be a perfect melting pot of my husband and I.  Extremely energetic, she has trouble sitting still for even short periods of time.  She hums and sings almost constantly - whatever "ear worm" is cycling through her head comes out of her mouth.  This was an issue with her teacher last year, who believed that all children learn the same way and my daughter's constant singing caused her teacher a constant headache.  After a year with "Sparkles", the teacher retired. Coincidence? I don't know.  Sparkles is my little handful and trying to find ways to train her to follow directions while encouraging her awesome spirit is a constant battle.  I love the spirit she has - her feistiness comes from both my husband and I - but it gets her into trouble, as it did yesterday.

My baby, "Princess Buttercup", is five years old.  Out of all my children, she most resembles me physically.  She will be the child who will give me a passel of grandkids.  She is sweet and smart. She tries to sing, but is eclipsed by Sparkles' talent since Buttercup can't carry a tune to save her life.  She loves to snuggle, but also has a dose of high energy that I need to find a place to focus it.

Back to Sparkles and yesterday's incident: The "plan" they worked out with her at the TAB room was one of trying to get her to think before she acts, something we've been trying to do since she was tiny.  Unfortunately, she seems to have been born that kid who will put their hand on a burner after being told not to do so many times.  Then, after being burned, she'll have to do it several more times just to see if the same results occur.

With all that is going on in the world, it is so scary as a parent to trust that things will work out for good.  I look at SwimGirl, hovering on the brink of adulthood and I worry about her future.  She's worked so hard at school and swimming - she's on the edge of launching out of the safety of our nest and the world is going crazy.  The little ones in our home would adjust well to a different sort of life: Buttercup has always wanted to live on a farm with lots of animals and Sparkles would finally have a place to expend all her crazy energy.  But my older two? How does one say "I'm sorry - all those years in school, on the ice, in the pool is for naught.  The world is crazy and we must flee now" when you know it will break their hearts?  The people in OWS and this administration claim that they are working for the future of our country - how can this be so when all they seem to be perpetuating is mediocrity and violence?  Where is my children's futures in their plan?

This is the time when trusting God and HIS PLAN is so important, but how hard is it to hand over all that and trust?  Some days it is easier than others.  It brings to mind the verse: "But Jesus called the children to him and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'" (Luke 18:16, NIV) Letting our children go into his hands is what he requires of us, so it is what we must do, but it can be so hard.

OWS, checkpoints: Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste

Several years ago, while watching a movie on a random rainy summer afternoon, I was hit with the need to WRITE. I ran upstairs and grabbed my story-ideas journal and started scribbling.  The words flowed through my pen like it was possessed, describing a future America torn apart by civil war and economic disaster.  It was the summer of 2009; the world I described was set in the year 2014.

A little freaked out by what I had written, I put the journal away, but couldn't release the images of ruin from my mind.  As time passed, I went back to the journal and added bits and pieces as they came to me: plot lines flowed from my pen as easily as syrup sometimes, other times, it was work to get a word on the page.  Some of the scenarios flowed from earlier thoughts - ideas that had come when driving into the State Fair a few years prior, or when driving through rural Minnesota on the way to hockey tournaments.

I do not claim to be prophetic with the things I wrote down; I believe that anyone who has been paying attention to our country's (and the world's) current events could possibly see what I've seen and written down regarding our future.  However, it is quite scary when things I wrote back in '09 start actually occurring, such as the checkpoints on Tennessee highways or in Michigan, the increase in civil unrest through the Occupy movements around the world, the class warfare encouraged by President Obama and the rest of his ilk, etc. and has been the cause of many panic attacks, until I grab hold of the one thing that can keep the panic away: God.

The Patriots of America need to stand up to the forces that would destroy the country.  We need to search for leaders who will hold true to the Constitution and who have the best intentions for our country.  We need to share with others the corruption occurring in DC and around our country, shedding light upon the darkness that threatens to spread and conquer our land.  But we also need to remember that whatever happens is part of God's Plan and only He knows what the future holds, and whatever happens, it is what He has decided to happen.  The "whys" or "hows" of His plan may not be revealed to us during our lifetimes.  Our job is to wait on Him, wait for His direction and then do the "What" He asks of us.  If we stand like Esther, praying and waiting for His call, He will answer us.

As it says in Romans 8:28-38: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persectuiion or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (NIV, emphasis mine.)

In all things, pray unceasingly and time will show who will be conquerors.  Do not lose heart, Patriots, but know that things will work out according to His Plan.  Do not be afraid, but plan for whatever may happen. Make sure you and your family has a contingency plan in place, pay attention to the signs and prepare.  There may be those who are claiming to know the day of the end of the world , but no one knows the time of the end but God.  (Besides that, our personal "end of time" can happen anytime - so we must always be prepared for that, right?)

Have faith and one way or another, we shall be conquerors.