Whassup, France? UPDATED

In the last twenty-four hours, you've visited my page more than Any. Other. Country. In fact, in the last twenty-four hours, you've probably exceeded page visits in the same amount of time for any one country other than the U.S., and I probably only get this many "hits" from the U.S. in twenty-four hours when I post something "important" (A Difficult Topic or A Sadiversary, for example).

So what's the sitch? I don't think I know anyone who resides in France, and the only Francophile I know personally is my brother, who lives in Kentucky, USA. I appreciate that you're reading me so much, but you can also comment, if there's ever anything you wish to say. Which kinda begs the question (okay, questionS) for everyone out there (not just the Fine French Folk reading me of late):

How many blogs do you read, are they mostly similar or vastly different, and how often do you find yourself interacting with the writer?

UPDATE: since posting this earlier this morning, I've gotten EVEN MORE hits from France, so I wanted to look back at the last month, and give you, my readers, a glimpse into what makes me giggle, so here's the stats for the past thirty days:

Gratitude

It's been nearly a year since I started blogging, and A LOT has happened in the last year.

THANK YOU for keeping tabs with me.

Today, I do not have to go to work. I gave up my restaurant shift to a coworker early this week. She's grateful for the shift, and I'm grateful to be able to putter around here.

I didn't really sleep in - no, scratch that - I didn't sleep in at all, as I had planned. I was up at 7, trying to catch up on some blogs that I follow while everything was quiet. When Stephen got up, I had a bowl of cereal and one cuppa joe, and then I went back to bed, so that he could write in the quiet as well.

Didn't sleep right away, but I DID sleep. Heard him turn on the television; rubbed Cocoa's belly; got up to shower. Did a little more onlining, found a recipe for "Thanksgiving Dinner Ubiquitous Green Bean Casserole" that I could alter from its already-not-including-mushroom-soup alteration, and gave it a try.  Made a small batch, to test, to see what I'd need to tweak, before making the larger, servable batch for the "Late Afternoon/Early Evening Thanksgiving Dinner and Jello Shots" party we'll be attending 6-ish.  Stephen watched as much of his Cowboys game as he could stand (they're wearing their dark uniforms, even though they're the home team, and that clearly makes a difference in how they play, duh).

Have taste-tested the first batch and know what additional tweaks I need to make to "my" recipe. The biggest problem is that I did not measure anything the first time around. When did my cooking become so adventurous?

Start with a little of the first two
& add the broth as needed

Fire it up, and whisk away!

Add a coupla heapin' Tbsps

Once it's thick (maybe not THIS thick),
create a layer in the bottom of your pan

Tha's right - add BACON

Green beans, duh! (I use frozen)

Covered, in a 350 oven

For TEN minutes!

Mmm, cheesy goodness on top

UNcovered @ 350

For TWENTY minutes!

Top w/fried onion, cover, carry to the party

Watch the hosts cook some more;
put UGBC in Their 350 oven fr

Load Your Plate!

 I am grateful that we were invited to participate in a meal today. I'm grateful that I only had to prepare this ONE dish. I'm grateful that the party guests, few in number as we were, enjoyed the dish I prepared. I'm grateful for leftovers. Don't think I'll be transporting any food with me to the new job tomorrow, as it'll be a "short" day, so there may be no need for a dinner break. Haven't yet investigated the kitchen space there, but it looks (at first glance) to be a nice one. I'm grateful to have a new job with a nice kitchen space where I can bring in my own food, rather than hitting the food court on a daily basis (yes, my new job's in a mall).

Bring home leftovers, of COURSE!

Whether you "celebrate" Thanksgiving or not, what are you grateful for this season?

Quite the successful end to a 20-day run

TODAY, I got up early and went to the restaurant job early and tried to take a little catnap in the car in the parking lot but DID NOT (yeah, I know, I keep harping on Yoda's "Do or Do Not - there is no Try"), eventually working pretty hard and steadily until they said I was done, only to head over to the dance studio for a training/final interview.

"Worked" for 3 hours and change, until the boss lady took me into her office to extend the job offer and schedule my next two days. Filled out most of my "new hire" paperwork and handshook/hugged a buncha folks ("welcome to our family" hugs) and then came home via my fave grocer, Trader Joe's.

Bought cut FLOWERS and a bubbly red Italian wine and a buncha other stuff that we may or may not need, but I was in the mood to CELEBRATE.  So here we are.

btw, did I mention I got the job? I got it. I got it. I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!! Sweet! Full time, good pay, decent benefits, swaddled in the luxurious robe of dance.  Tomorrow, sleeping in followed by laundry followed by a Googled recipe for the ubiquitous green bean casserole without mushroom soup (since I hate mushrooms), followed by a "please bring a side dish and your appetite to our Thanksgiving Dinner with Jello Shots" party. Sayin' "yes" feels really good.

Longest Breakfast Ever, in the History of Breakfast... well, probably not. ;)

I live and work in Los Angeles and the film industry. What happened today isn't supposed to affect me!

Ming-Na Wen was having breakfast in the restaurant where I work today. I don't know if she and her friend were seated before or after I clocked in; I didn't see them get seated. I immediately recognized her when I passed her table in my "floating", so I found a reason to alter my traffic pattern to confirm. Then I found another moment to "pass" their table so that I could let her know that "I've admired your work forever, and I really like you on Your. Avengers. Show".

GAAH. Yes, I really did say that. What a dork!

She probably gets that sort of thing all the time, but GAAH! What the eff happened to my brain, in that moment?  It was my own, personal Wil Wheaton Moment. She was very gracious, and I understand from her server that she was also sweet and friendly (and yes, she tipped). Thankfully, my gaff did not unsettle the women, and they occupied their small table (again, graciously taking up only a "two-top") for a good long while. Hours, (it felt like) they were there. It's actually quite comforting (to me) to know that it's possible to be famous enough in this town for a restaurant worker to stick her own foot in her mouth at your table but low-key enough to continue dining, without pressure. *** If you've been reading me AT ALL for any length of time, you know that I really don't care what others may think of me, but if I were in her position, would I be as gracious? Could I be? I also wonder how many others recognized her and followed my lead into their own, personal Wil Wheaton Moments?

*****

Today was Day Seventeen of Twenty-Two, if you look at my current work schedule. I might have off on Thursday (the swap I mentioned yesterday hasn't been approved yet), which would make this Day Seventeen of Twenty. That's a lot of consecutive Days of Earning or Working Towards Earning (interviewing), strung together. If my next official Day Off is Thursday, then I will rest. If it's not until Saturday, then, well, I will rest. I've enjoyed stringing all of these Days together, but it's practically a whole MONTH of work, and I'm at the point where I recognize that it may be too much. Maybe.

After my interview on Tuesday goes well (hired "on the spot", don'tchaknow?), I shall do a "Happy Dance" out of the mall and back to my car. If I've managed to "swap" my Sunday "float" shift for a co-worker's Tuesday cashier shift, then I will also Happy Dance into that shift... and leave my "Thank You For Having Hired Me For Only This Long, but Goodbye" card posted on the wall, next to the schedule. And then maybe, while I'm cashiering, I'll call around to see who wants my Wednesday and Friday shifts, 'cuz I'm nice like that. I may be a spazz, but I'm a nice one.

Just in case I'm too busy to blog again before Thursday, I hope this week finds you rested and blessed with the company of folk you love. Eat turkey or don't; just be happy, ya know?

Keep the positivity comin', kids. It's TOTALLY working!

Well, because I choose to see the positive side of things. I'd picked up a cashiering shift yesterday, which was my first so-f***ing-busy-weekend-day-that-I-don't-know-how-I-kept-up morning cashiering shift on a weekend. In the process of it, I lost twenty bucks in tips that I was owed, because when I finish my shift, I don't pull the tips out of the drawer and allow the drawer to be short. I pulled my tips out of the drawer after the drawer was balanced. According to my personal report, there should have been $20 more in that drawer, which should have been MINE from tipping on credit card orders. BLARGH.

So I left there in a fairly foul mood. But Stephen had prepared a surprise Thanksgiving meal for me, and when I got home, we carried it all over to Woodley, since this will be his first Thanksgiving without Flo. Had a lovely visit; determined to do more of that; went home via Trader Joe's because I was out of cereal AND

I wanted to pick up a nice "Thank You" card for the boss lady who had interviewed me at the dance studio. Didn't need one for the theme park interview(s), because that's a big corporate machine. But the dance studio is an individually-owned franchise, which makes the folks there more of a family. Found the appropriate card, checked out, and drove home.

Had gotten my schedule for this week at work, which only includes one cashiering shift (Monday morning, of course) and then Wednesday/Thursday morning "float" shifts to go with my standard Friday/Sunday morning "floats". Plenty of hours, sure, but probably not a lot of money to compensate all the work. So I'd already found someone to cover my actual Thanksgiving Day shift, just in case my cashier friend wanted to give up his shift for me OR in case I get hired elsewhere prior to it. Worst case scenario: I'm not working on Turkey Day. Boo Hoo.

GOT A PHONE CALL, either while enroute home or just as soon as we walked in the door. Boss lady at the dance studio either weeded through the hundreds of resumes she received or got overwhelmed by them, and seeing my test scores, decided to give up on a majority of the other candidates and start "Round Two" of interviews. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays, and they reopen their doors on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. My Interview 2.0 is at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

I have your positive vibes and prayers to thank for that. And if she hires me on the spot, I'll use the "Thank You" card I bought to say good-bye to the restaurant.

Whaddya think? Sound like a "plan"?

...OR, I could just keep working.

I picked up another shift tomorrow, cashiering, and if my previously "standard" schedule is any indication of what next week brings, that will make today Day Fifteen of Eighteen consecutive Days of income-producing work (including interview days, because you have to act like you actually Have The Job in order to get hired for it {dressing up and taking tests and whatnot}).

On my way home today, I was calling the theme park recruiter, because he said he'd be expecting my call today after 3. I have yet to reach his live voice. I've left one message in his voicemail, and if he doesn't return my call before 5, I'll leave one more for the weekend.  And then, he'll probably call me back on Monday, and get MY voicemail, and we'll start a little game of phone-tag. Love that game. NOT.

And since I AM working tomorrow and Sunday and probably Monday, I've decided I'm not going to decide between the two potential jobs I've interviewed for. I'm going to let go of them (after my 5 o'clock voicemail to the recruiter) and just accept whichever position hires me first.

So there.


How have you worked to replace one not-so-great position with a better one? Did you do anything you'd recommend I add to my tasks? Were you able to "let go" at all while waiting to hear?

Your positive vibes needed, STAT!

Had what amounts to a very long, albeit productive, day. "Questionnaire" and "counselling" were words that I correctly said were misspelled on an admin test I took (both neglected the double-consonant), although when I wrote out the correct spellings, they didn't look any more "right" than the missplelleleings. Yeah.

Ennyhoo, my day. Went to the office of my BG-work "calling service" for a meet-n-greet, visitation/orientation "thing" and got a new profile pic taken. Good. Got some questions I didn't know I had, answered. Good. Reaffirmed my interest in a potential recruiter/admin position, when it gets officially created. Good.

Left there super-early and called to see if I could be seen early for my next appointment, which was "Interview 1.5" for a seasonal position at the local theme park. They let me in the door early, but the interview officially started... a few minutes late. Oh, well. Pros to this possible gig: it'll be very short-term, and will cover any gaps in my income left by the holiday hiati (that's the plural of "hiatus," right?) that happen near Thanksgiving and Christmas; it's very close to home; it could lead to another gig next season. Cons: it's minimum-or-not-much-more wage, and it's part-time, and it doesn't necessarily start until the first week of December, AND, if there's a union member who needs the shift, I have to relinquish it (before I ever get it), so there may not be enough shifts. Kinda like what I'm dealing with at the restaurant, except that there's no union there. Actually, the pros completely outweigh the restaurant, so don't even think that I'm planning on staying there for much longer! Just banish that thought right outta your head!!!

Followed that interview with a hands-on sewing test. I've been sewing for pleasure since childhood, but I've never had to complete a specific set of tasks under a time crunch before. I didn't make it to the "end" but I was told by the proctor that 1. most people don't, anyway, and 2. my work looked good, so I shouldn't worry. Whew!

Went from there to "Interview 1.5" for an admin position (receptionist, really) at a dance studio. On the way, traffic was backed up on the major street I was on, because some film or other was shooting a "driving" scene, complete with heavy-duty camera-rigged car and at least 3, if not 4, motorcycle cop escorts - and I was in the traffic going the other way. Got there ON TIME. Met one of the studio owners. Took an in-house "admin test," which was composed of a typing speed test (not very fast, at 35.4 wpm, but incredibly accurate - didn't check it but I don't think I had any errors), a spelling (correct or incorrect) test, a proofreading test where I was only supposed to circle spelling errors, but I also indicated grammar (punctuation) where necessary, a "make this spreadsheet happen in excel, but include the results of the formulas" test, and a "make this handwritten memo look like a nice word doc" test. I'm sure I blew all of those tests out of the water (well, all but the typing speed). I seemed to have made a good impression on the girl who's leaving. Pros: it's full-time and pays commensurate to skill, with benefits like insurance and 401k; it's an easier drive than I currently have; it's in a DANCE STUDIO, hello! Cons: it may take me completely out of the "industry" for a long while; I may not get to dance as much as I seem to think (unless I work out a deal with my previous studio on my days off); I won't hear anything about "Interview 2.0" (with the studio owners) until after Thanksgiving!

Came home on the back road, which was only congested because of rush hour (if I get the dance studio gig, I'll never have to worry about rush hour or horrible freeways again). Tomorrow, I'm back at the restaurant. At the end of my shift, I call the recruiter regarding "Interview 1" at the theme park ("1.5" was for a slightly different position than I went to "1" for, on Tuesday), to see if I can maybe be hired for BOTH positions, and that way, I could start as early as before Thanksgiving. No matter what comes out of it all, I'm pretty sure I'll be working next Thursday. It just remains to be seen where.

So if you're the kind of person who prays, or focuses on good things on behalf of others, or does anything that could sway one of these new jobs into my world, then please do so. I'm ready to be done with food service, ya know?