Productivity

After three months, I think I have come to the end of the "fun" in my "funemployment." Now I am trying to focus more on being productive and finding a job.

After a day of fasting and praying to be more productive and make better use of my time, I had an epiphany. Like so many of the epiphanies that I bother recording on my blog, this one also had to do with the arrangement of my room. It occurred to me that two pieces of furniture needed to be switched. And I did it and it has made ALL the difference in the world, once again forcing me to ask the question, "What do people without divine intervention do with themselves?"

So now my desk is in a much much much better place where I can easily access it and it doesn't collect junk. It is sort of the focal point of the room, which adds to my desire and ability to sit there and do productive things. (You may have already noticed the dramatic increase in the number of blog posts I've written.)

My roomie Ashley came in to chat with me the other day and was so amused by what she saw she suggested that she take a photo for my blog.
Yes, that is a heating pad attached to my neck with the tie from my Halloween costume. After much thought, I decided that this was the best option. And yes, my neck is feeling better now, thank you for asking.

Reflections on Business Attire

I had my first interview today. It was technically a pre-interview skills screening, but all the same I donned my interview suit and put on my nylons (which I ONLY wear to job interviews). I put my hair back in a conservative low bun and looked at myself in the mirror. I always think the same thing: "BORING!!! How to men do this every day? What's the point of trying to look exactly like everyone else?" I do shake things up a bit because my suit is navy instead of black, even though my headhunter in NYC said I had to have a black one to get a job on Wall Street. She insisted my super cute brown herringbone suit was too "academic" and would not get the job done. I agreed to get a more professional one, but drew the line at black.

As I walked down the lobby towards the elevator in the downtown highrise building, I remembered how much I love the click-click-click sound high heels make on the nice marble floors of corporate buildings. And i did notice how silky and sexy the nylons felt. I laughed and laughed that I didn't have to sign in with security to get in the building, and that the receptionist didn't have to buzz me into the office through beautiful, but bullet-proof glass. And the breathtaking view from the office was the mountains instead of Trinity church, world-famous skyscrapers and sailboats on the Hudson (oh, I really do miss the sailboats). But the mountains were beautiful. And unlike my beloved Wall Street law firm, no one here was wearing jeans or polos. Although the other lady taking the skills test with me was wearing knit pants. I was glad I busted out the boring suit.

By the time I caught a reflection of myself in the full-wall mirrors in the gold-plated elevator on the way back to my car after the skills test, my attitude must have changed. I saw myself and I thought: "Dang! I look GOOD."

Apparently I can totally rock the business professional look. Not that I would want to every day.

In conclusion, I will just add that despite my 18 months as a favorite employee at a multi-million dollar Wall Street law firm, I was totally not qualified for that job.

C'est la vie.

PS Also, our elevators were faster.

New Post

I feel like my last post was a bit on the "Negative Nelly" side, so I want to clear some things up.

First, it's not that I'm opposed to being in Utah, it's just that I was so very very fond of being in New York and it was sad to see my last tie severed. People who live in Manhattan tend to have that as a big part of their identify, so now I'm just learning to define myself on different terms. And let's just come out and say it-- living in Utah is a bit cliche, if you're not from here.

Second, I realized I very much like the motto on the license plate. The other one was old. This is the new one
"Life Elevated." I can get behind that. It is meaningful and inspiring on several different levels. I'm happy to bare that slogan on my car.

And so far I've only lost my car in the parking lot twice. And, obviously, I did eventually find it both times. It occurred to me that knowing what my plate number was would have been helpful. I should really look into that.

So, I"m sorry if I was seeming like a Debbie Downer. Please forgive me.

And There Was Weeping and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth

The state of New York cancelled my car's registration because I'm no longer insured in New York. The University of Utah looks at when you got your Utah driver's license in deciding whether or not you get in-state tuition. So I spent four hours today at two different branches of the DMV (because you can't get your license and registration at the same place).
I do not know HOW I am going to be able to find my car in a parking lot now.

Although I did keep the weeping and wailing to my inside, I do think that I might have gnashed my teeth a bit when they took my New York title from me and said they'd send me a new Utah one. I just don't think that was necessary.

It occurs to me that in the four months I have owned this car, it has had three different license plates. Four if you count the one from the previous owner that I drove it home in. And in the 13 years I've been a licensed driver, I have lived in 8 states and gotten licenses in 4 of them. This is the first time I've gotten a new license before the old one expired. And while I was/am super sad to sever these ties with New York, I remind myself that I will be saving several thousand dollars if I do decide to go to the U of U or if the police ever discovered my registration was null and void. C'est le vie.

Funny Things I've Come Across Lately

Because it's my blog and I can post random meaningless stuff if I want to.

How to Be the Favorite Auntie

Since being in Utah for 1.5 months I have NOT found a job. I have NOT taken the GMAT. I have NOT found a volunteer opportunity. I have NOT even painted my room.

But I HAVE become the favorite Auntie to my three nieces.

You may ask how I accomplished this in so short a time. For the benefit of my readers, I have broken my strategies into three easy steps:

1. Download a coloring app onto your iPhone
The nieces will be begging for it (and thus your attention) every time you're near.

Please note: be sure to turn off the sound during sacrament meeting.

2. One word: Birdie Flap Flap
This is a game my sister invented when I was a little girl. I have no idea how she did it, being only 6 years older than me. It is tiring enough with these tiny little girls!

3. My nieces take after their favorite auntie in regards to their love of dancing. I host a dance party very frequently when we get together. In this particular picture, I out did myself with the epiphany of a table-top dance party. (Like I always say, "train them up in the way they should go".) But usually our dance parties consist of us all dancing around on the floor together. (Note to readers: if you want to teach your three-year old niece that the secret to dancing is all in the hips, do not do it where the child's mother can hear you.)

How Office Life Has Ruined Me For Home Life

Today I was baby-sitting for my niece at my sister's house when her phone rang:

Me: Lewis home. This is Holly. How can I help you?
Caller: I'm looking for Jason Lewis.
Me: I'm sorry, he's not in right now. Would you like to leave him a message?
Caller: Yes, please.
Me: Alright, you can leave that message with me.
Caller: I'm confirming his dentist appointment for tomorrow at 4.
Me: Okay. I will pass that on to him. Thank you for calling. Good-bye.

I realized I was being way too professional half way through the conversation, but I couldn't stop myself.