Discouraged

I'm beginning to feel like I'm never going to find a new job. I'm so discouraged.

On my birthday last month I found a job opening online that would have been ideal for me. A job that I'm uniquely qualified for, a job with good pay and benefits, and most importantly, a job I think I would love. Seeing the opening on my birthday felt like a sign. I was convinced this was it.

So I went back over my resume, making sure everything that made me the perfect person for the position was mentioned. I wrote a very nice cover letter to go with it. I even wrote an email to the person who would be in charge of the hiring process, introducing myself and asking for an interview. After submitting everything I called around to some of my contacts (I have a lot of great contacts in this community) and discovered that a woman in my book club volunteers at this place. I reached out to her and told her about the position I was applying for so she could put in a good word for me. In short, I did everything I could think of to try to get a foot in the door. Then I waited.

And waited.

And........nothing. Not an email, not a call, nothing.

Which is just par for the course. I've applied for three jobs with the state (at DHEC and DHHS) over the last couple of months and haven't heard anything back from them, either. Then there was the job as a secretary at one of the high schools I applied for and got really hopeful about....because they checked my references...but then I didn't hear anything else until I found out through a friend that they had filled the position. I never even got an interview. Why they bothered to contact my references is a mystery to me. Every day, I check the online job postings, and there's rarely anything worth applying for. On the rare occasion that something seems promising, I do whatever I can think of to get noticed, but it's just not happening.

I'm so unhappy at my current job (anyone who's been reading here for any length of time knows that already, and I apologize for sounding like a broken record) and I've been searching for something better for so long, that I'm getting depressed about it all. Everything is great when I'm off work, but whenever I'm about to go in (like tonight) the dread settles over me like a dark cloud. 

The only thing I need to make my life completely happy is a new and better job. Everything else is great, and I'm grateful for all the good stuff in my life, but I'm so ready to have this job search behind me.

My daiquiri recipe

My friend and partner in crime, Marla, came over today and I made this year's first batch of strawberry daiquiris. We spent the afternoon watching funny YouTube videos and getting tipsy.

Here's my method for making daiquiris :

First, I wash and stem fresh strawberries and lay them on paper towels to dry completely. Then I put them into a Zip lock bag, squeezing out as much air as possible, and pop them into the freezer.

When it's time to make the drinks I juice several limes and lemons. For each pitcher full of daiquiris I fill a blender with approximately 1/2 cup citrus juice, 4 cups of frozen strawberries, one generous cup of white rum, 1 cup of cold filtered water, one cup of raw (turbinado) sugar, and a few fresh chopped strawberries. Amounts don't have to be too exact, you can add a bit more or less of any of the ingredients. Blend, taste, and adjust.

I like to rim the glasses with lime juice and raw sugar. Add a whole strawberry for garnish and a straw for sipping and ENJOY!

Weekend off

I have the weekend off, and I didn't even ask for it. It's so nice to not be at the mall on Saturday night! I could  get used to this schedule.....

Today was somewhat productive, but nice too. The weather was perfect--blue skies and mild temperatures. I slept late, rode my bike, spent time with the dogs, and did a little bit of housework (the kitchen was downright grubby but an hour or so of scrubbing made things better) and shopping. Besides a typical grocery store trip, I checked out a new butcher shop that's opened up in Florence. A couple of my friends have been raving about the wonderful locally farmed meats for sale there. I'm so glad I went! The selection is wonderful and very reasonably priced. I bought some bacon-wrapped steaks and two pounds of shrimp for the grill.

This is what our supper looked like:

Bacon wrapped sirloin and shrimp marinated in Cajun spiced lime butter, cooked on the grill,

with brown and wild rice and mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes on the side.

While preparing our meal I had several mixed drinks, Diet Coke with lime and rum. (Skinny Cuba Libres). I bought a big bottle of rum and a bagful of limes because tomorrow Marla is coming over and I'm making us strawberry daiquiris!!

Speaking of which, I went back to the strawberry farm today and bought another big box full of beautiful strawberries. I didn't want to risk running out.

I'm known for my strawberry daiquiris...it takes a lot of berries to make them right!

I also saved back a lot of grilled shrimp to make a cold pasta salad for our lunch tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing Marla and catching up over food and drinks.

It's shaping up to be a nice weekend!

Pretty pictures

First, my sweet girl Ginger. I wish you all could feel how wonderfully soft and luxurious her coat is; everyone remarks on it when they pet her. Our vet says she has the nicest fur if any dog he's ever seen. And she's a sweetheart, too.

Next up: some flowers blooming in my yard.

And last, a couple of photos taken as I drove home yesterday. The first one is beside my house. Spring is my favorite season, and I just love bright sunny days like these!

Easter trees, strawberry fields

A neighbor has decorated her blooming dogwood tree with Easter egg ornaments. I stopped in the middle of a bike ride this morning to take a picture to share here:

It's weird, but kind of cute.

After lunch I paid a visit to one of our local strawberry farms. The berries are ripe a little early this year. Several people were out in the warm sunshine letting little kids pick strawberries. I was in a hurry so I decided not to pick my own. Maybe next time.

I bought a big basket of beautiful berries. They're so sweet and delicious. Just look at them:

I've been eating strawberries all evening!

Bright shiny day

The last few days have been so wonderful for me! I have so many kind and generous friends who made sure I felt special on my birthday. There were dinners out, cards and packages, texts and phone calls, and so much more.  

My birthday gift from Gregg was a bright yellow cruiser style bicycle! It's the perfect bike for riding around the flat, smooth roads in my neighborhood. I love it!

And finally......

March 23, 1976

Mistletoe in Spring

Yesterday I saw something fairly unusual in my backyard. There's a tree with low hanging branches way in the back, and on one of them is a bunch of mistletoe growing only 6 feet off the ground. I could easily have picked it if it was the right season for such things.

Today is the Equinox, and I'm so happy it's Spring! This is my favorite season. I took the dogs for a good walk this morning  (I have to work tonight) and we saw masses of white blooming dogwood trees, irises, and even a couple of bluebirds flying around in the stand of old pine trees behind the corner church. It's a beautiful day!

Have a good one, my friends!

Sunday, Sunday

It's a beautiful sunny day at my house and I'm off work! Yay!!!

I decided against attending this afternoon's meeting of Action Together, a local progressive political group that I belong to. Although it's always heartening to spend time with like-minded community members trying to address issues going on in our government, I feel like today I could use a mental rest day. So I'm staying home. All that's on my agenda for this sunny Sunday afternoon is to go food shopping, do some cooking and maybe baking, and hanging out with this guy:

That sad face behind the fence as I was leaving for work yesterday....!

And Ginger and Marco too, of course.

Have a great Sunday, my friends!