Almost Andrea

Thanks for your participation in the contest! Andrea's the closest - it's a Record Cutting Lathe. Sheralee, Richard and I went on Monday night to see a friend's work. A fun little field trip if you will. His company cuts masters for vinyl records and then sends them to a company that presses bunches of the records.

But do people even listen to vinyl any more? Good question - he told us that much of their business is from bands that don't want to be part of the digital establishment or really like the unique sound of vinyl and that there are only a few companies left that do what they do.

I'm going to be able to learn that machine eventually and help them out on a temporary, flexible basis when they get slammed. The process was fascinating to me and I'm looking forward to learning something new.

A Contest!

Last night a friend showed me how to use this machine, and it's highly probable that I'll learn how to use it myself and do some temporary work for his company when they're busy. Bonus points if you know what it is. And those of you know what I did last night please give at least a couple hours for people to guess :)

I'll tell you this:
1 - They're one of very few companies left that do this kind of work.
2 - Some of my training can come in handy
3 - It was terribly fascinating

Dreary

Fall has hit here in Denver. This morning it's drizzling and cold, but thankfully it's only supposed to last for today and part of tomorrow. This morning is one of those times where I think - hey, if I were working right now I would be whining about having to get up and going when it's so cold and wet when I really wanted to just curl up at home. Guess what - I can curl up at home today. How cool is that.

The interesting part, if you ask me, is that I'm feeling anything but dreary today. I had a fantastic weekend and the cool weather made for a great night sleep last night so I'm feeling ready to tackle today. There have been plenty of days where a dreary morning would have meant a dreary day for me emotionally and today is just not one of those days. I'm going to try and use that energy in ways that are productive and that creates more energy like this for the rest of the week.

In Other News

I think this is hysterical:

It's Friday - Really?

This has been a busy week - it was a short week, even for me because I was doing fun stuff on Monday. I've sent out bunches more resumes, been on two interviews, had to appear in court on a minor traffic thing, and I still don't know what the State of Colorado is thinking about my unemployment claim.

This was the week of interviews where I really don't have a good sense of how I did. I'm usually pretty good at reading people, however, I could not get a sense at all from any of the people I interviewed with this week of what they may be thinking. It's a bit aggravating because then I really don't have any idea what to expect when I hear from them next. Both of the positions are interesting, although at the moment I'm not over the top about either one. I know I could do a good job in each position there are just a couple of things about each that are giving me second thoughts. That said - I would accept another interview from either organization and would seriously consider an offer from either.

Emotionally I've felt much better this week and I think there are a lot of reasons for that, one of which is feeling slightly less stressed about paying for things and another of which is that I've been exercising more. There are a couple other things playing in as well - I just know that it has felt good to let go of a bit of the stress.

So - here's to another good weekend and another hopeful week. I take anything I can get at the moment.

Hopeful

I had a great weekend. I was able to spend some truly beautiful time with good friends and on my own and today I'm feeling so much better than I have been the last couple of weeks. It seems a bit strange to me to say that I had a great weekend, however, I've been doing what I can to take some days off of the job search each weekend. It's good for me, and there really isn't that much that's posted over the weekend. So I don't do it.

I was actually able to sleep in this morning and then ran a quick errand, exercised a bit, came home, and by the time I was out of the shower it was lunchtime. It was such a good thing - I felt like I had accomplished something and then moved on to the task at hand - finding a job.

I have two interviews yet this week - one that I'm going on because I'm curious and one that I really really want. Today I'm feeling hopeful about the future. It's not always going to be this way. I will find another job. Not having a job doesn't make me any less of a person. Here's to this line of thought and action continuing on.

I Heart Festivals

Luke and went to the Taste of Colorado yesterday. I heart festivals and I normally steer away from the carnival rides, so I'm absolutely not sure how long it's been since I've been on one. I think it may have been The Zipper at the Rockford Start of Summer Celebration a few years ago. I had so much fun - even though after the second ride, where Luke was in pain and laughing hysterically at the same time, I needed to sit down! It was a beautiful afternoon - thanks Luke!